Testing your aim

A story is told of a very unusual test given to university students, which took place many years ago.

A professor of economics gave a test to his class. The test had several sections of questions, each of which contained three categories of questions. He instructed the students to choose one question from each section of the test. The first category in each section was the hardest and was worth 50-points, the second category in each section was not quite as hard and worth 40 points, and the third category in each section was the easiest and worth only 30 points.

The students took the test. Those who had chosen the hardest questions, or the 50-point questions, were given A’s. The students who had chosen the 40-point questions were given B’s, and the students choosing the 30-point questions, or the easiest questions, were given C’s. Whether or not the answers were correct was not considered. Understandably, the students were confused and asked the professor how he had graded the exam. The professor leaned back and, with a smile, explained, “I wasn’t testing your knowledge. I was testing your aim.”

It’s a great story. The story’s morals present us with learnings and observations that are still pertinent to our times today. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “How high do I aim?” Would I settle for easy-achievable goals because this way I can be sure that I can achieve them? Or do I purposely set higher goals, raise the bar, pursue excellence, and aim high?

I have had clients in my leadership training telling me that they see so much potential in their people. They have worked with the company for a couple of years. They know the ins and outs of the business, and their career path is promising, yet; when offered a shot at being promoted to a higher level, they shun the offer. They reason that they are happy with where they are and have no need to take in additional “stress.” And so, the opportunity goes to someone else.

Many prefer to play it safe. These are the people who embrace the mistaken philosophy that safety provides comfort and comfort provides safety, but this is a wrong way of thinking. Comfort does not provide safety; it destroys usefulness. And so they turn down offers for promotions, they refuse to take on challenging assignments and would coast along living life in cruise control. They do not want to aim high. They are happy to settle even when they are young and still have an entire life ahead of them.

Samuel Clemens was right when he said, (and I paraphrase:) “The problem with most people is not that they set their goals too high and they miss them. The problem is that they set their goals too low, and they attain them.” And so, in essence, these are people who are satisfied with being good, but they miss out on being great.

We need to raise our aim in life; this does not refer to mere business and profession alone; this deals with life, love, and relationship as well. There are challenges we need to accept, and there are difficulties we have to go through, for this is how we grow.

Henry Ford says: “Cut your own wood, and you warm yourself twice.” He meant that the man who chops his firewood not only enjoys the heat from the logs burning in his fireplace but also gets physically warmed from the exercise involved in his labor. The one who takes action and aims high will be the person who attains much and succeed more and, in the process, will be the same person who gets to learn more and become better.

Do not settle for average. Aim high and do the work that can enable you to be better and do better. Take the initiative to make things happen. Volunteer your service – accept challenges – Aim high. Those who aim high will discover the delight of success.

Set high standards and never be satisfied with the status quo. Be interested in the pursuit of excellence. And discover a world of immense opportunities that await you. It has been said that: “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people. I totally agree.

(Connect with Francis Kong at www.facebook.com/franciskong2. Or listen to “Business Matters” Monday to Friday at 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. over 98.7 dzFE-FM ‘The Master’s Touch,’ the classical music station.)