100 Percent
What kind of person truly inspires others? It’s not always the one with the longest resume or the loudest voice in the room. More often than not, it’s the person who radiates passion—who is on fire for what they do. You can feel it when they walk in the room. They give their all, every day. They provide 100%.
But here’s a question worth asking:
What does it mean to give 100%?
We always throw that phrase around, but have you ever thought about what makes up that elusive 100%? Here's a clever little formula to help us visualize it:
If you assign each letter of the alphabet a number (A=1, B=2, ..., Z=26), you can start to see what different traits "add up" to.
Let’s take a look:
- H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 23 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 98% - K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11 + 14 + 15 + 23 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 = 96%
But then there’s this one:
- A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100%
Hard work? Critical.
Knowledge? Non-negotiable.
But without attitude, you’re just shy of the mark.
This little math trick may be playful, but the lesson is powerful: Your attitude is the final push that gets you to 100%. The secret ingredient transforms good into great, effort into excellence, and adversity into opportunity.
More Thoughts on Attitude:
“Everything can be taken from a man but the last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”
— Viktor Frankl
“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled... propelled by our discomfort, we start searching for different ways or truer answers.”
— Scott Peck
“The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances.”
— Martha Washington
“Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.”
— Richard Bach
So the next time you're striving for that 100%, remember:
- Hard work will carry you far.
- Knowledge will open doors.
- But attitude? That’s what gets you across the finish line.