You might have already heard or realized the importance of the last 1% of effort that is required to make a huge difference. You might win a race or a deal based on the last 1% at stake. The last 1% is important – actually very important.

But…

There is a “hidden trap” that you need to avoid while discussing the last 1%. The trap is that when you lose something you can easily cop out and say that you didn’t make the last 1% count else you would have won. There is a tendency to assume that you put in the first 99% that was required to win whatever is at stake.

If you really had put in the first 99% and failed, hats off to you – you were almost there and if you keep at it, probably you will get there next time. However, in most cases you would have failed because you didn’t put in the effort that was really required to succeed and thrive. You might have put in the first 90% or first 80% or first 50% or the first 20% for that matter. Once you fail at something, there is not much of discussion about what all you could have done to succeed – especially if you are convinced at the core that you had put in the first 99% and all you failed to do was to put in the last 1%

Only YOU can really tell whether you put in the first 99% that was required to win that thing you were pursuing. It is best to face the reality (that you put in far less than 99%) rather than be in the fantasy world (that all you needed was 1% more).

Confronting reality head on will help you to address the “real” gap rather than addressing the perceived gap of last 1%.

Why?

Because – the actions you need to take to bridge a gap of 30% is VERY different than the actions you need to take to bridge the gap of the last 1%.