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Summary

• When you run a race, often the last mile is the hardest.
• When you limit your choices in the workplace, or they are limited for you, you get superpowers.
• The most dangerous animal in the world is one that has nothing to lose, and no choice but to fight. You can use this at work.

Full Transcript

I want to talk a little bit about necessity. Let me ask you this: have you ever trained for a long run, something like a 10 miler or a half marathon or marathon? I have. I don't know if this is something that you experienced, but I know when I trained for runs like that - and typically, you know, in this partly depends on where one starts out - you run one mile and then the next time you run two miles, the next time you run three miles and then four miles and so forth. What I've always found amazing is that if it were like a five mile run, I'd get out there and I'd run and it was a fourth mile that was the one that hurt.

But then of course, maybe a couple of weeks later when I was running 10 miles, I just blew right through that fourth and fifth and six miles. That wasn't a big deal at all. But boy, it was that last mile, that 10th mile, that was the one that really hurt. And then later on when I was running 20 miles, the 10 mile was like, that was nothing. Because that time it was really that last mile, the 20th, that hurt. And it wasn't really ever a case of getting fit or because after running 20 miles, you know, the next week you'd run 10 again and boy, it was really that 10th mile again.

So my point: necessity is, is super, super powerful. It's a super powerful motivator that I think people sometimes have a tendency to not think about. For example, an example you may have heard from history, when Cortez, landed in Mexico he scuttled his ships. There were some complex reasons for that, but one of the reasons was he wanted to eliminate choices so that the remaining sailors had no choice but to continue with his as infantry, as footman, so he could go forth and conquer the things you wanted to conquer and eventually did. Whatever you think of Herman Cortez, he eliminated choice.

What I would say in your working life, when you're trying to get things done, if you can put yourself in a position where there is no choice, this will give you super powers. I mean, there's nothing more dangerous in the world than like a cornered animal because that creature has nothing to lose. It makes them very dangerous because they have no choice but to fight back and to push back and to win because there is no other choice other than like dying. It's not a super comfortable place to be. Sometimes, of course, in the working world, you're put in these situations, right? So, if and when this happens, rather than focus on, "how am I going to do this? how am I going to not die?" Focus on the fact that not being able to fly means you have every motivation in the world to fight. This is instinct. This can give you super, super powers.

I am reminded how in the first part of the 20th century, so many people tried to run a four minute mile and they couldn't. It wasn't until Roger Bannister did it in 1954 that suddenly, a bunch of other people did it within the next couple of months.

I think part of that was because, when no one had done it, it wasn't even a choice because it was impossible. But of course, when somebody did it and it was shown to be possible, now it's, you know, it's a choice because it was shown that it could be done. If someone decided it was necessary that they run as fast as possible, they suddenly had no choice but to also break the 4 minute mile barrier.

You may have seen that last month Eliud Kipchoge ran a sub-two hour marathon, which nobody had ever done before. I wonder if in the next year or so a bunch more people will suddenly be able to match his feat. I don't think I will be one of them, but you never know. Or maybe you will.

Necessity is, is the mother of all performance. If you're having a hard time getting motivated and getting things done, put yourself in a situation where there is no choice, right? If you're trying not to eat junk food, don't have it in your house. So it is no choice. You're trying to drink more water, get rid of every liquid in your house other than water. So that's all you have. Hide your car keys. Or you know, this is very similar to like when people freeze their credit cards in blocks of ice, so they have no choice, or at least delays their choice until the ice thaws. Humans are funny creatures.

I hope that serves you and empowers you, especially as you make your way through the working world. Remember, get out there, show them what you can do and win at work.