Simple Truths: 212º the extra degree

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THE

212° EXTRA

DEGREE

Extraordinary Results begin with One Small Change

SAM PARKER | MAC ANDERSON

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Copyright © 2016 Sam Parker, Simple Truths®, and Walk the Talk® Cover and internal design © 2016 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Internal design by Krista Joy Johnson Sourcebooks, the colophon, and Simple Truths are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—­except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—­without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.—­From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations Photo Credits Cover: Ecelop/Shutterstock Internals: page 1, Ecelop/Shutterstock; pages 10,19, 23, 30, 32, 40, 42, 51, 53, 57, 61, 64, 75, 79, 81, 102, 106, 108, VectorState; pages 12, 17, 37, 38, 70, 84, 98, 100, 104, Krista Joy Johnson Published by Simple Truths, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567–­4410 (630) 961-­3900 Fax: (630) 961-­2168 www.sourcebooks.com Printed and bound in China. QL 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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For everyone.

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CONTENTS One Degree 009 212˚ Thoughts & Facts 021 212˚ Stories 045 212˚ Actions 083 212˚ Reflections 097 212˚ Afterword 111 A Guide for Commitment 115 About the Authors 121

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At 211°, water is hot. At 212°, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam . . . And with steam, you can power a locomotive.

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ONE DEGREE 212TheExtraDegree_INT_FQC.indd 9

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Raising the temperature of water by one extra degree means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine—­a beautiful, uncomplicated metaphor that ideally should feed our every endeavor—­ consis­ tently pushing us to make the extra effort in every task we undertake. 212˚ serves as a forceful drill sergeant with its motivating and focused message, while adhering to a scientific law—­a natural law. It reminds us that seemingly small things can make tremendous differences. So simple is the analogy that you can stop reading right now, walk away with the opening thought firmly planted in your mind, and benefit from it for the rest of your life.

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212˚ THE EXTRA DEGREE

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That’s the purpose of this book—­to help you inter­nally define and take ownership of the most fundamen­tal principle behind achieving life results beyond your expectations. This simple idea has a singular focus—­an actionable focus.

212˚ It’s this dramatic—­three numbers joined together to form one, crystallizing a message that absolutely assures life-­altering, positive results for those who choose to apply it. Still looking for the “silver bullet” or “quick fix” to achieving great results?

One Degree

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Stop. 12

212Ëš THE EXTRA DEGREE

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Reams of material are written and taught with an approach to reaching an end by close to effortless means—­and more will be written. Advertising messages continually promote methods of achieving end results with little or no effort. And this material and these mes­sages are so effective that in many cases people will work harder to avoid the extra effort than to actually apply the effort that will produce the originally desired outcome. Great materials with solid approaches to results have also been created and taught. Unfortunately, in so many cases, action on the part of the reader/student is the missing ingredient. And for those individu­als who do take action, there is even a smaller number who make the extra effort necessary to reach the desired results that were originally set to be achieved. Books are purchased, programs are attended, and clubs are joined with wonderful intentions of putting forth the effort to achieve—­only to end in another block of time invested halfheartedly with appropriately corresponding results.

One Degree

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Why? Why do you enter into any activity with anything but a commitment to achieve your objective of that activity—­not a desire to achieve your objective, but a commitment? 212˚ is not only a message of action—­it’s a message of persistent and additional action—­the continual application of heat (effort) to whatever task or activity you undertake in order to achieve not only the primary objective you seek, but to reap the exponential rewards that are possible by applying one extra degree of effort.

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How many opportunities have you missed because you were not aware of the possibilities that would occur if you applied a small amount of effort beyond what you normally do? People develop personal habits toward action and rarely attempt to develop them further and continually. Unless someone engages in frequent self-­review or an external source (a friend, a book, a manager, a spouse, a parent, an article, etc.) brings something to one’s attention, a person will continue throughout life making very small improvements, if any at all.

One Degree

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Now you’re aware of “212˚—­The Extra Degree.” No longer will you be able to do only what is required of you and only what is expected of you. Because with this awareness comes responsibility—­to yourself and to others. And, again . . .

You are now aware. The excitement can begin. Are you smiling yet? You now have a target for everything you do . . .

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You may not always be able to turn up the heat and hit the boiling point, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make the attempt. It’s what you’d advise others to do, and it’s what we should teach our children. 211˚ can serve a purpose, but 212˚ is the extra degree—­the extra degree that will bring exponential results, exponential results to you and those you touch throughout your days. There are no real secrets to success. Success with anything, success in anything, has one fundamental aspect—­effort. Achieving exponential results requires additional effort. Take your courses. Read your books. Listen to your tapes. But take action.

One Degree

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Take action with commitment. Then, when you’re ready for exponential results, apply the extra effort. Sometimes you’ll have immediate exponential results and sometimes you’ll realize the benefits of your extra effort much farther down the road. Regardless, in many cases, it may only be that one extra push that gets you ten times the results you were attempting to originally obtain. Pace your expectations and operate at your new target—­212˚. You will realize the benefits of this extra effort. One extra degree can change everything.

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At 211°, water is hot. At 212°, it boils. And with boiling water comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. It’s your life. You are responsible for your results. It’s time to turn up the heat.

One Degree

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From this day forward, commit to operating at 212˚ in everything you do. Etch it into your thinking—­into your being. Apply it to your actions. It guarantees to increase your results positively and, in so many cases, increase your results exponentially.

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212Ëš THOUGHTS & FACTS 212TheExtraDegree_INT_FQC.indd 21

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“Inches make the champion.” —­Vince Lombardi, Hall of Fame Football Coach, 1913–­1970

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Professional golf tournaments are comprised of four rounds (games) of eighteen holes played over a four-­day period (seventy-­two holes total). There are four major tournaments each year—the U.S. Open, the British Open, the PGA Championship, and the Masters. The average margin of victory between 1990 and 2014 (twenty-­five years) in ALL tournaments combined was less than three strokes—­ less than a one-­stroke difference per day. From 2000 through 2004 (five years), the winner across all tournaments took home an average of 78 percent more in prize dollars than the second-place finisher (before endorsements and other earnings).

2 1 2 ˚ T hou g hts & F a c ts

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2.40 77%

The average margin of victory in strokes at the Masters (1990–­2014) That’s 0.60 strokes per day.

Additional prize dollars on average for winning first place at the Masters

Playoffs needed to crown a winner after seventy-­two holes: six (that’s 24 percent of the time) First-place prize dollars: $917,640

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Second-place prize dollars: $518,757

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2.64 87%

Average margin of victory in strokes at the U.S. Open (1990–­2014) That’s 0.66 strokes per day.

Additional prize dollars on average for winning first place at the U.S. Open

Playoffs needed to crown a winner after seventy-­two holes: five (that’s 20 percent of the time) First-place prize dollars: $891,600

Second-place prize dollars: $475,702

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2.72 76%

Average margin of victory in strokes at the British Open (1990–­2014) That’s 0.68 strokes per day.

Additional prize dollars on average for winning first place at the British Open

Playoffs needed to crown a winner after seventy-­two holes: seven (that’s 28 percent of the time) First-place prize dollars: $886,446

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Second-place prize dollars: $502,534

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS 212TheExtraDegree_INT_FQC.indd 121

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Sam Parker SAM PARKER is a cofounder of Give More Media Inc. (www.GiveMore.com). Every day he endeavors to make inspiring material to help people care more about their work and the people around them. His other books include Lead Simply, Smile & Move, Cross the Line, and Love Your People.

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A native of the Washington, DC, area, he now lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife Jennifer (an artist) and their three children. He can be reached with feedback or to discuss speak­ing engagements at sam@givemore.com.

A bout th e A utho r s

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Mac Anderson MAC ANDERSON is the founder of Simple Truths (www.SimpleTruths.com) and Successories, Inc., the leader in designing and marketing products for motiva­tion and recognition. These companies, however, are not the first success stories for Mac. He was also the founder and CEO of McCord Travel, the largest travel company in the Midwest, and part owner/VP of sales and market­ing for Orval Kent Food Company, the country’s largest manufacturer of prepared salads. His accomplishments in these unrelated industries provide some insight into his passion and leadership skills. He brings the same passion in his speaking engagements to many corporate audiences on a variety of topics including leadership, motivation, and team building.

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Mac has authored or coauthored seventeen books that have sold over three million copies. His titles include: Change is Good…You Go First, Charging the Human Battery, Customer Love, Finding Joy, Learning to Dance in the Rain, 212° Service, Motivational Quotes, The Nature of Success, The Power of Attitude, The Power of Kindness, The Essence of Leadership, The Road to Happiness, The Dash, To a Child, Love is Spelled T-­I-­M-­E, You Can’t Send a Duck to Eagle School, and What’s the Big Idea?

A bout th e A utho r s

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“Inspire your people to embrace the value of the extra EFFORT, CARE, AND ATTENTION that goes into creating great results.” —Sam Parker

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