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Sam Parker & Mac Anderson 212° the extra degree
Copyright © 2006 by Sam Parker, Simple Truths®, and Walk the Talk® Published by Simple Truths 2520 Diehl Road, Aurora, IL 60502 (800) 900-3427 All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher. PHOTO CREDITS: Dick Durrance II (www.drinkerdurrance.com) page 26 Bruce Heinemann (www.theartofnature.com) pages 30, 42, 48 Ken Jenkins (www.kenjenkins.com) page 92 Rich Nickel (www.richnickeldesign.com) pages 32, 64, 96, 98 Todd Reed (www.toddreedphoto.com) page 74 Steve Terrill (www.terrillphoto.com) pages 36, 56, 68, 100 Design: Rich Nickel Editor: Michelle Sedas Printed and bound in the United States of America www.simpletruths.com 8  . . . . Introduction 24  . . . . 212° Thoughts & Facts 46  . . . . 212° Stories 84  . . . . 212° Actions 92  . . . . 212° Reflections 212° the extra degree contents
8 At 212 degrees, it boils. At 211 degrees, water is hot.
10 And with boiling water, comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. ONE DEGREE Raising  the  temperature  of  water  by  one  extra  degree means  the  difference  between  something  that  is  simply very  hot  and  something  that  generates  enough  force  to power  a  machine  –  a  beautiful,  uncomplicated  metaphor that ideally should feed our every endeavor – consistently pushing us to make the extra effort in every task we under- take. 212° serves as a forceful drill sergeant with its moti- vating and focused message while adhering to a scientific law  –  a  natural  law.    It  reminds  us  that  seemingly  small things can make tremendous differences. So simple is the analogy that you can stop reading right now, walk away with the opening thought firmly planted in your mind, and benefit from it for the rest of your life.
12 That’s  the  purpose  of  this  book  –  to  help  you  internally define and take ownership of the most fundamental princi- ple behind achieving life results beyond your expectations – a simple idea with a singular focus – an actionable focus. It’s this dramatic – three numbers joined together to form one, crystallizing a message that absolutely assures life -altering, positive results for those who choose to apply it. Reams   of   material   are   written   and   taught   with   an approach to reaching an end by close to effortless means – and more will be written. Advertising messages continu- ally promote methods of achieving end results with little or no  effort.  And  this  material  and  these  messages  are  so effective that in many cases people will work harder to avoid the extra effort than to actually apply the effort that will produce the originally desired outcome. Still looking for the “silver bullet” or “quick fix” to achieving great results? 212°
14 Great  materials  with  solid  approaches  to  results  have also been created and taught. Unfortunately, action on the  part  of  the  reader/student  in  so  many  cases  is  the missing ingredient. And for those individuals who do take action,  there  are  even  a  smaller  number  who  make  the extra  effort necessary  to  reach  the  desired  results that   were   originally   set   to   be   achieved.   Books   are purchased,  programs  are  attended,  and  clubs  are  joined with  wonderful  intentions  of  putting  forth  the  effort  to achieve – only to end in another block of time invested half- heartedly with appropriately corresponding results.   why?
16 Why  do  you  enter  into  any  activity  with  anything  but  a to achieve your objective of that activity – not a desire to achieve your objective, but a commitment? 212°  is  not  only  a  message  of  action  –  it’s  a  message  of persistent and additional action –  the  continual  application  of  heat (effort)  to  whatever task or activity you undertake in order to achieve not only the   primary   objective   you   seek,   but   to   reap   the exponential  rewards that  are possible by applying one extra degree of effort. commitment
18 How many opportunities have you missed because you were not aware of the possibilities that would occur if you applied a small amount of effort beyond what you normally do? People  develop  personal  habits  toward  action  and  rarely attempt  to  develop  them  further  and  continually.  Unless someone  engages  in  frequent  self-review  or  an  external source (a friend, a book, a manager, a spouse, a parent, an article, etc.) brings something to one’s attention, a person will  continue  throughout  life  making  very  small  improve- ments if any at all. Now you’re aware of “212° – the extra degree.”  No longer will you be able to do only what is required of you and only what is expected of you. Because with this awareness comes  responsibility  –  to  yourself  and  to  others.  And, again... You are now aware.
20 You now have a target for everything you do... You may not always be able to turn up the heat and hit the boiling point, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make the attempt. It’s what you’d advise others to do and it’s what we should teach our children. 211° can serve a purpose but 212° is the extra degree – the  extra  degree  that  will  bring  exponential  results – exponential results to you and those you touch through- out your days. There are no real secrets to success. Success in anything has one fundamental aspect – effort.  To achieve exponen- tial results requires additional effort. Take your courses. Read  your  books.  Listen  to  your  tapes.  But  take  action. Take action with commitment.Then, when you’re ready for exponential results, apply the extra effort. Sometimes you’ll have immediate exponential results and sometimes you’ll realize the benefits of your extra effort much farther down the road.  Regardless, in many cases, it may only be that one extra push that gets you ten times the results you were attempting to originally obtain. Pace  your  expectations  and  operate  at  your  new  target. 212°
22 At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. It’s your life. You are responsible for your results. It’s time to turn up the heat. From this day forward, commit to operating at 212° in everything  you  do.  Etch  it  into  your  thinking  –  into  your being.  Apply  it  to  your  actions.  It  guarantees  to  increase your  results  positively  and,  in  so  many  cases,  increase your results exponentially.