Giving 110%

How much do you have to give?

We learned back in grade school that the most that you can have of anything is 100%.  If I had 10 marbles and you gave me 5, I now have 150% of what I had, but I would still only have 100%.  As a result of this continued logic, the term "giving 110%" (in sports, work, etc.) seems to have fallen out of favor in recent years, but I believe that there might still be a place for it.

I believe that giving 110% is how we grow as humans.  If we always did what we felt comfortable with (our 100%), then how would we stress our bodies to become smarter, stronger, more capable people?  This summer, I'm going to be giving 110% to affordable housing through my trip with Bike & Build.  That means that every day, I'm going to try to give at least 10% more than I thought that I could the previous day.  I'm going to work harder, build better, bike faster, and do my best to make more of a difference than I ever considered that I could or would.

Finally, I wanted to share with you that beyond the abstract idea of 110%, I'm also literally giving 110% towards my trip with Bike & Build.  In addition to the 100% of my time on the road and the potential income that I am giving up to go on this trip, I am also matching 10% of every donation given by my generous donors to this trip.  I believe in the cause and only feel right that I give equally as well too, so I have already made my starting $450 donation to the cause, trusting and knowing that we can reach a minimum of $4500 together.

PS - For a hockey player's take on "110%", take a look at http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2012/05/30/110/.