It’s easy to be dismissive.
When we hear or read something, it’s easy to say “Yeah, yeah, I already know that.”
And sometimes maybe we do already know it.
But knowing something and doing it are two different things.
If you’re the funniest person in the room but you don’t make anyone laugh, what difference does it make?
If you’re the nicest person but don’t help anyone, what difference does it make?
As many successful people have figured out, it’s the “doing it” that counts.
Warren Buffett says that the most important factor in success is “Integrity”.
Like this guy…
Now that’s integrity! Clearly, he honors his bets.
But integrity is a broad term that means a lot of things to a lot of people. Perhaps a better word to get to the root of what Buffett was referring to is efficacy.
Efficacy – something that’s rarely talked about – is defined as the ability to produce a desired result.
More often than not, it’s this ability to get things done that’s holding people back.
Think about it… there are a lot of people who have goals, who are passionate, and who – no matter how hard they try – never seem to get ahead… at least not as fast as they’d like.
And it’s a lack of efficacy that’s holding them back.
Efficacy is simple, but not easy.
That’s why people tend to prefer research over doing.
They never feel “ready” so they get stuck in a holding pattern.
That’s why we tend to dismiss things and say things like “I already know that” or “that won’t work for me” rather than asking “how might that work for me?” or “how can I put that into action?”.
It helps us avoid taking action. After all, if we never try, we can’t fail.
Efficacy, like any other skill, can be built and strengthened with practice.
The good news is that if you have efficacy in one area of your life, it tends to bleed over into other areas.
So when starting out, it’s super valuable to give yourself simple targets and complete them with 100% efficacy.
It doesn’t really matter how simple or small these targets are… what matters is achieving 100% efficacy.
Do it – whatever it is – EVERY day, don’t miss. If you find yourself slipping, do something even easier.
It’s not about intensity it’s about building the habit.
For instance, maybe you could write down something you’re grateful for every morning. Or maybe you could do 10 pushups or drink a bottle of water. Whatever it is, try to master it with 100% efficacy.
You can always increase difficulty or add new things over time, but it’s important to nail something simple first.
Once you’ve built your efficacy muscle, you’ll find that setting goals actually becomes meaningful because you become the kind of person who is able to put your plans into action and actually do what you say.
If you do that, there won’t be any stopping you.
Remember, it’s the efficacy part most people skip. Don’t let that happen to you. Imagine how much better life would be if you could just write down a goal and know it’ll get done.
This is the power of efficacy. Use it wisely.
So get after it… today… NOW… start small and build your efficacy muscle.
Here’s to 100% efficacy and the success that comes along with it.