“I’m giving 110%” or the more conservative ’100%’. It’s a phrase you hear a lot – particularly in reality TV (The Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, etc.)  but what does that really mean?  Not ever sitting down? Staying until 7PM when everyone else went home at 5?I don’t think that’s it at all. In fact that’s just the opposite because it’s more likely to do with worrying about what others think.

This is on my mind because I’m writing this having just gotten out of court; as I’ve mentioned in passing in other posts I volunteer as a child advocate (CASA) and while that means I can’t discuss the children or people involved I can say that there are always a lot of attorneys – heck, I even get an attorney.  This particular court hearing was held because of me, because I was the one party that didn’t want to go along with the other parties involved. That’s really step 1 – Stand for what you believe is right and don’t give in to peer pressure.

When I made that stand, it meant I needed to write a report for the judge and the other parties. I had been advised that I was probably writing this for the file, that the judge was likely to rule for the other parties and that’s just the way it goes.  I believed that advice but I still made that report the best I possibly could, because to do less would be to say that my involvement didn’t mean that much or that I didn’t really believe in what I was saying so I had to write it as though it would be read carefully and acted on. That’s step 2 – believe that what you do makes a difference, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time.

Did I get what I asked for? No, but it was more than I had been advised to expect, it bought some time and I got a smile from the judge on the bench. It’s not about winning anyway – particularly in this situation when it’s about children, it’s about taking each opportunity given.  What will I do with the time gained by my taking a stand? If I close my eyes then nothing was gained, if I keep them open then new and compelling information may appear. Step 3 is simply to stay alert and receptive – to never count a situation as closed while there is still something you can do.

Faith is the last ingredient – not in a religious sense although that’s not inappropriate if you lean that direction, but in terms of believing that what you need to know, see, or do will make itself known to you. That what seems like a catastrophe may turn out to be the foundation for something great and that human beings are remarkably resilient.

If you add that all up: stand up for what you believe, believe that you make a difference, stay open, and have faith, you can’t help but give your all whether you’re walking into a court room, trying to get in shape, or gunning for a promotion.

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