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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of IHeart Radio.

Good morning.

This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is that hard work is good, but you don't have to leave it all on the field.

Sometimes it's wise to put forth a good effort rather than an over-the-top effort.

Sustainability is important, and very few of us can afford to go through our lives

completely spent. So I suppose I am a literalist, but I get annoyed when people start talking

about giving 110%. This is impossible, as is the subsequent inflation from there, 120%, 150%, whatever.

You can only do 100%, and it is also not wise to give 100% all the time, or even most of the time.

Smart people know they need to figure out where to give a lot and where to

do just a decent job. They also recognize that even on occasions when you do want to do your best,

you will likely need to get up and do more things the next day. So best to leave the field with something for the journey.

I was thinking of this recently when reflecting on training for a marathon many years ago.

As I was training and figuring out what to expect, I was also reading various essays on

marathon running, generally featuring people waxing eloquent about leaving it all

on the field as they pushed to the finish. Now, keep in mind, these weren't people racing for an

Olympic gold. They were amateur runners, just like the rest of us. I have to say I wasn't particularly

taken with the idea, and I ran my 26.2 miles and finished,

but I'm glad I did not leave it all on the field because, right after my race, I immediately

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