by Rick Baker
On Oct 3, 2013
Thought Tweet #839 When people tell you they are giving 110%, do you think they are talking in superduperlatives?
The Thinking Behind The Tweet
When I was a child neighbourhood parents had a habit of stopping me and asking me to answer math questions. [At one point I thought none of the adults in our subdivision knew how to count their money.] I suppose I was naturally talented at math. Later in life I found myself answering math questions during university level exams...dozens of exams. So, I understand I developed a habit of knowing math.
That knowledge of math has a few side-effects. One side-effect is, when people make claims like they are doing things beyond 100% it catches my attention and my thoughts. I have thoughts like, "Don't these people know when you've got 100% you've got it all & when you've given 100% you've given it all?"
Giving 100% is superlative territory....that's the limit of your giving.
Giving more than 100% - well, that's defying the laws of at least mathematics...probably, the laws of physics...and even the Laws of Nature.
How can you trust a person who makes claims like, "Boss - I'm giving 110%!"? [Some go even higher. You hear 150% regularly and some people have the habit of claiming a preposterous 1000%!
Don't you think all of these people going overboard?...being excessive?...being exorbitant?...over-killing their point and beating it to death too?