I’d like to share a favorite story with you called Quantum Leap. It has some great lessons about the value of working harder versus working smarter and “outside the box.”
The author, Bhagwati Prasad, says that working harder only delivers incremental gains, not quantum leaps. But when you do something a totally different way, you have the opportunity to make a “quantum leap” and create entirely new possibilities. Here is Bhagwati Prasad’s story:
“I’m sitting in a quiet room at the Millcroft Inn, a peaceful little place hidden back among the pine trees about an hour out of Toronto. It’s just past noon, late July, and I’m listening to the desperate sounds of a life or death struggle going on a few feet away.
There’s a small fly burning out the last of its short life’s energies in a futile attempt to fly through the glass of the windowpane. The whining wings tell the poignant story of the fly’s strategy – try harder.
But it’s not working.
The frenzied effort offers no hope for survival. Ironically, the struggle is part of the trap. It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass. Nevertheless, this little insect has staked its life on reaching its goal through raw effort and determination.
This fly is doomed. It will die there on the windowsill. Across the room ten steps away, the door is open. Ten seconds of flying time and this small creature could reach the outside world it seeks. With only a fraction of the effort now being wasted, it could be free of this self-imposed trap. The breakthrough possibility is there. It would be so easy.
Why doesn’t this fly try another approach, something dramatically different? How did it get so locked in on the idea that this particular route and a determined effort offer the most promise for success? What logic is there in continuing, until death, to see a breakthrough with ‘more of the same?’
No doubt this approach makes sense to the fly. Regrettably it’s an idea that will kill.
‘Trying harder’ isn’t necessarily the solution to achieving more. It may not offer any real promise for getting what you want out of life. Sometimes, in fact, it’s a big part of the problem.
Self-discipline and persistence are true virtues. Over a lifetime they can make a powerful contribution to success and achievement. They are fundamental to the development of your talents. It’s extremely important to apply yourself diligently, and sometimes, staying power is what delivers a big win.
But ordinarily, you will find that trying harder produces only incremental gains, not quantum leaps. Also, keep in mind that sometimes trying harder (even a lot harder) offers little more than a straight path to burnout. Attempting to succeed through ‘more of the same,’ being resolute and relying on committed effort, can blind you to better pathways.
If you want to make a quantum leap, quit thinking about trying harder. More effort isn’t the answer. Get ruthless about trying something different. Abandon the status quo. Change your behavior. Look for a paradoxical move. If you’re trying to climb over the wall, open a door and walk through. If your pushing against the river, try going with the flow. Use finesse instead of effort. The tendency when you stall out or begin to level off in your performance is to go back to the basics and ‘do what you do best.’ But doing what you do best could be the worst thing you could do.
Quantum leaps come when you seek the elegant solution. So look for an approach characterized by simplicity, precision, and efficiency. Call for a fresh perspective, a deft move, and a path of less resistance.”
The author, Bhagwati Prasad, says that working harder only delivers incremental gains, not quantum leaps. But when you do something a totally different way, you have the opportunity to make a “quantum leap” and create entirely new possibilities. Here is Bhagwati Prasad’s story:
“I’m sitting in a quiet room at the Millcroft Inn, a peaceful little place hidden back among the pine trees about an hour out of Toronto. It’s just past noon, late July, and I’m listening to the desperate sounds of a life or death struggle going on a few feet away.
There’s a small fly burning out the last of its short life’s energies in a futile attempt to fly through the glass of the windowpane. The whining wings tell the poignant story of the fly’s strategy – try harder.
But it’s not working.
The frenzied effort offers no hope for survival. Ironically, the struggle is part of the trap. It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass. Nevertheless, this little insect has staked its life on reaching its goal through raw effort and determination.
This fly is doomed. It will die there on the windowsill. Across the room ten steps away, the door is open. Ten seconds of flying time and this small creature could reach the outside world it seeks. With only a fraction of the effort now being wasted, it could be free of this self-imposed trap. The breakthrough possibility is there. It would be so easy.
Why doesn’t this fly try another approach, something dramatically different? How did it get so locked in on the idea that this particular route and a determined effort offer the most promise for success? What logic is there in continuing, until death, to see a breakthrough with ‘more of the same?’
No doubt this approach makes sense to the fly. Regrettably it’s an idea that will kill.
‘Trying harder’ isn’t necessarily the solution to achieving more. It may not offer any real promise for getting what you want out of life. Sometimes, in fact, it’s a big part of the problem.
Self-discipline and persistence are true virtues. Over a lifetime they can make a powerful contribution to success and achievement. They are fundamental to the development of your talents. It’s extremely important to apply yourself diligently, and sometimes, staying power is what delivers a big win.
But ordinarily, you will find that trying harder produces only incremental gains, not quantum leaps. Also, keep in mind that sometimes trying harder (even a lot harder) offers little more than a straight path to burnout. Attempting to succeed through ‘more of the same,’ being resolute and relying on committed effort, can blind you to better pathways.
If you want to make a quantum leap, quit thinking about trying harder. More effort isn’t the answer. Get ruthless about trying something different. Abandon the status quo. Change your behavior. Look for a paradoxical move. If you’re trying to climb over the wall, open a door and walk through. If your pushing against the river, try going with the flow. Use finesse instead of effort. The tendency when you stall out or begin to level off in your performance is to go back to the basics and ‘do what you do best.’ But doing what you do best could be the worst thing you could do.
Quantum leaps come when you seek the elegant solution. So look for an approach characterized by simplicity, precision, and efficiency. Call for a fresh perspective, a deft move, and a path of less resistance.”
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