Fichier de travail :
- ../DUMP-TEXT/Anglais/4_Mental_Sense/82.txt
Forme voulue :
- senses?(\b)
Définition :
- [Dans le domaine intellectuel] Conscience intellectuelle générale, faculté de comprendre les choses et d'apprécier les situations avec discernement.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The common trait is a sense of urgency.
A sense of urgency drives people, companies, and countries to work much harder than normal. It makes them work as if their lives depend on it (which, in many cases, is true).
Thomas Friedman talked about this in his book The World is Flat. He called it coefficient of flatness: the fewer natural resources a country or company has, the more it will dig inside itself for innovations in order to survive. It’s the sense of urgency that makes them survive, and the same principle applies to individuals.
I see this truth everywhere. Here are some examples:
* World War II left Japan devastated. The crisis gave them a strong sense of urgency to work hard and rise. In 1980s, not only they did rise, they even scared many other countries with their rapid economic growth.
* In the book The Road Ahead, Bill Gates said that a secret to Microsoft success is they always think of themselves to be in the losing side, and this makes them strive to be number one everyday. This attitude creates a sense of urgency which makes them work hard to survive in the highly competitive environment of IT industry.
* Many students suddenly get a “boost in productivity” a few days before their assignments are due. Again, a sense of urgency is at play.
As you can see, sense of urgency is like magic. A touch of it can transform a person, a company, or a country to be highly productive.
--
Once someone is trapped in the comfort zone, he loses the sense of urgency. There is no reason for him to work hard and excel. He falls prey to the trap of mediocrity.
Perhaps this is the reason why many family businesses can’t succeed beyond the third or fourth generation. The younger generations are already in the comfort zone; they have lost the sense of urgency owned by the first generations. This also explains why many people do not grow, or grow only slowly, in their life.
So, if there is a lesson we can learn, that will be this: to be highly productive, we should introduce a sense of urgency into our life.
--
A challenging goal creates a sense of urgency that inspires us to work harder to achieve it. A good example is John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing people on the moon before the end of the decade. The goal was challenging, and it had a clear deadline. That goal inspired a whole generation of scientist to emerge and boost the productivity of the space program to a whole new level.
--
Suppose you have to write an article. That’s a normal goal – there’s nothing too big or challenging about it. But you can create a sense of urgency by setting a challenging deadline. This way you will be motivated to work harder and be more productive.
--
Deadlines give you a sense of urgency by setting a maximum amount of time to finish something. But sometimes it’s difficult to even get started. The task feels uncomfortable and we try to avoid it.
In such case, we can create a sense of urgency in a different way: by setting a minimum amount of time to work on it. Before the time is up, you may not stop working. This way, there is pressure to keep yourself going until you meet the minimum time limit, and you trick yourself to start working on an uncomfortable task.
--
Another way to give yourself a sense of urgency is by telling other people about your goal. By letting them know about your goal, you will feel the pressure to achieve it and meet their expectations. This is one reason why I like to share my goals and visions with the people I meet. They keep me stay motivated and on track.
--
This attitude – which is used by Bill Gates in the example above – is important to avoid comfort zone. If we feel that we are already winning, there’s a danger that we will feel comfortable and slow down. So look around and find someone who is better than you in an area. Then put yourself on the losing side and creates a sense of urgency to keep the momentum going.
--
One reason we have no sense of urgency is we are not aware of the danger that is threatening us. If we can’t even feel the danger, how can we feel the urgency? So widen your perspective and see what’s going on in this world along with its potential danger.
In my case, reading The World is Flat introduces me to the danger of globalization. Globalization makes skills and advantages get commoditized fast and this danger also awaits me. If I do not find my unique strengths and force myself to grow, I can be a victim of globalization instead of a winner. Now that I’m aware of the danger, I have a sense of urgency to keep myself growing.
--
You can choose the tips that work best for you. You might also have other tips I do not mention here. Whatever they are, the important thing is to introduce a sense of urgency into your life.
--
#1 15. February 2008, 1:29 pm o'clock |
I’ve been wondering what this sense of urgency means and how it manifests in people’s lives. In my case, I have a quota of 600 this month. Last month, I accomplished 600 with the help of a few individuals. I know I can accomplish all 600 again by myself. The challenge lies in my own discipline and how hard I’m willing to work. The results are worth it. Maybe with my sense of urgency to finish everything, I can perform better. I guess this will be my little experiment.
2. Comment by Annie - SisterWisdom Life Improvement
--
Jen,
That would be an interesting experiment. I agree with you that by introducing sense of urgency you will perform better.
Annie,
Yours is a good example of accountability. Putting your progress on your blog is a great way to introduce sense of urgency since the whole world could see it.
4. Comment by ll
#4 30. October 2008, 10:54 pm o'clock |
This doesn’t work. Nothing makes me have a sense of urgency, and I can’t create one out of thin air. I am willing to be out on the street or die before I do something I don’t feel like doing.
I just wanted to say that your article is a simplisitic way of viewing things.
--
I agree with the poster who wrote on 10/30/08 – II.
I hardly ever feel that sense of urgency. It would take a life or death emergency for me to feel that way. I’m currently unemployed but when I have had that sense of urgency (having to finish something quickly at work) or back when I was at school when something HAD to be finished, I was so VERY uncomfortable, I wanted NOT to feel that again. Who wants to feel that agitated and anxious – as if the world is coming to an end and you’re responsible for doing everything perfectly. My parents have often behave that way and I’ve done everything to do to avoid feeling that much PAIN. Even though I haven’t given up, I can totally relate to street people who have given up.
Urgency = anxiety and that seems like a lousy way to live.
--
#7 15. July 2009, 5:20 am o'clock |
In reply to II and Julia, who don’t feel a sense of urgency or dislike the feeling – it sounds like urgency is an unpleasant thing. I understand it feels like a kind of anxiety but if the goal is something you really, really want to achieve, then the whole experience becomes a more exciting, adrenaline-filled thing. And when it’s done, as it probably will be due to the urgency, there is a huge sense of fulfillment. So I would say the key is finding the thing that fires your spirit, something you can really put your heart into and then the urgency will be mixed with fun.
8. Pingback by Links for Super-Charged Living - Feb 16, 2008 | My Super-Charged Life
--
#1 18. February 2008, 7:37 am o'clock |
[...] the difficulty lies more with you than the task itself, generate a sense of urgency about the matter. With this mentality, you can push yourself a lot further than you ever [...]
10. Pingback by The 7 interesting (and useful) facts about my flaws : Reason-4-Smile Weblog
--
#3 1. May 2008, 5:09 am o'clock |
[...] This is among the most effective ways to defeat laziness. If you have a sense of urgency, it will be much easier to get up and do what you need to do. One way to create a sense of urgency is by setting a deadline. You can read more about it on my article about sense of urgency. [...]
12. Pingback by Dare to Take a Challenge !! » Blog Archive » Mengatasi Kemalasan !! How to overcome Laziness
#4 27. May 2008, 1:25 am o'clock |
[...] This is among the most effective ways to defeat laziness. If you have a sense of urgency, it will be much easier to get up and do what you need to do. One way to create a sense of urgency is by setting a deadline. You can read more about it on my article about sense of urgency. [...]
13. Pingback by How to Overcome Laziness
#5 25. September 2008, 2:47 pm o'clock |
[...] This is among the most effective ways to defeat laziness. If you have a sense of urgency, it will be much easier to get up and do what you need to do. One way to create a sense of urgency is by setting a deadline. You can read more about it on my article about sense of urgency. [...]
14. Pingback by Why Projects Fail - Kotter Step 2/8 - Forming A Powerful Guiding Coalition | Blogging Idol
#6 30. March 2009, 11:35 pm o'clock |
[...] it is what Kotter’s framework for Change Management really does. Once you’ve set that sense of urgency people tend to work harder than normal, get more done – they find a way! Forming A Powerful [...]