I have a minor obsession with good coffee. It’s not about the caffeine so much for me as the ritual – I love everything about it whether I’m making my own coffee at home or ordering it from a barista. At home, I’m partial to my French Press, but I do have a Keurig 2.0, and I’ll admit that a Starbucks K-cup brewed on strong is awfully good when I’m in a hurry.
All that said, when it comes to coffee, the most important thing to me is that it’s steaming hot.
Tepid coffee makes me cranky. 
When I was younger, I’d tease my mom about reheating a pot of cold coffee, but today I can wholeheartedly empathize with the lengths to which a woman will go to hold a steaming mug in her hands.
Yet while hot coffee matters greatly to me, here’s the rub. I have three young children, so my ability to actually consume an entire cup of coffee while it is still hot is basically nonexistent. I can’t tell you how often I find myself searching for half a mug of coffee that I’ve left somewhere in the house, only to find it undrinkably cold.
In a pinch, I’ll resort to the microwave, but I’m never happy with the results – coffee tastes all wrong after it’s been reheated. One day, in a fit of desperation, I tried reheating it on 50% power. You won’t believe me until you try this for yourself, but the results were markedly better. (Go ahead – tuck that little gem of a tip away for future reference). It may not be as good as a fresh cup, but it’s definitely drinkable.
Fifty percent. Who knew?
It made me think about the women I coach. They’re often wired a lot like I am and I can tell you this; we’re an all-or-nothing crew. Go big or go home. If you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all.
We wrestle mightily with decisions we’ve framed as black or white, all or nothing, good or bad. We don’t like to do anything halfway.
But I’m learning, and so are they, that sometimes, a 50% plan is better than no plan at all. It comes down to this – would you rather make progress toward a goal or stay stuck at the starting line?
Hiding behind all-or-nothing thinking is perfectionism in disguise, and it’s holding us back.
We’re never going to feel like we have enough time, or energy, or connections, or talent. It’s just how we’re wired. But we can’t let that stop us.
So the next time you’re doubting yourself, I want you to ask this question. “What would a 50% plan look like?”
Banish the thought for just a moment of achieving your grand vision. Take the pressure off. What if instead you did just HALF of what you believe is actually possible? (It’s heresy, I know. But try!)
Would you still make an impact at 50%? If the answer is yes, then for heaven’s sake get moving.
I’m willing to bet that your 50% will be far better than you think.
Besides, what if the momentum you build by beginning gives you the confidence you need to get to the finish line after all?
There’s a time to go big, to give it everything you have, to shoot for the stars….and you’ll know it when you see it.
But if the choice is coming down to all or nothing and you’re leaning toward “nothing”, then maybe it’s time to craft your 50% plan and see how far it takes you.
