100% Not 99%

Someone once shared that it is easier to do something 100% of the time rather than 99%. Yes, 99% is good, but there is something powerful about consistency.

That’s an easy conversation to have when you have time on your hands, the creativity is flowing, and you’re in your element. When you’re extra busy, there’s a large project on your plate, or you’re in a state of transition, staying consistent can be a lot harder.

Writing this blog post today is a lot like that. We have a lot on our plates, and if we wanted to justify skipping a week, we could. Frankly, this week we don’t have time for this. It would be easy to look at this as something we could do 99% of the time and pat ourselves on the back for… but consistency matters. 

We’re going to keep this short (because today is a busy day) and get right to the point. There are certain things in how we run our businesses, interact with clients, and treat our teams that are non-negotiable. There are certain values we hold true and promises we’ve made that require 100% commitment, not 99%.

The problem with 99% is that it can easily slide to 98%. Then settling leads to 95%, followed by 90%, and 80%… The slow fade occurs, months pass, and before we know it that thing we were 100% committed to becomes an afterthought.

Think about this for a moment: What’s that one thing that you let slide when you get busy? Does client communication get more challenging? Do you treat your team differently when the pressure mounts? Are you less responsive or more distracted when the fires get hot?

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Today is a great day to recommit to your 100% items. Pick the things in your life, personal and professional, that are non-negotiable. Commit to doing them, and then push to maintain your own 100%.