GIVING IT ALL YOU'VE GOT
Ever hear the expression "Giving it the whole nine yards"? Do you happen to know where it comes from? I used to think it was a sports term. "Not so", say several experts. But there seem to be at least two schools of thought on the phrase's origin. Both seem plausible. I'll let you decide. One explanation says that it's an expression from the construction trade. A full truck load, according to this rationale, will dump nine cubic yards of sand or gravel at your work site. In such a case, I suppose the expression would imply doing a job completely or thoroughly. A second explanation claims that the term came from World War II fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their planes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammunition belts measured exactly 27 feet. Thus, if a pilot fired all his ammo at a target, it got "the whole nine yards." In that context, the expression would mean using every resource at our disposal. Either way, giving something "the whole nine yards" effectively means "giving it all you've got" or "stretching to reach a goal." But what's the motivation? Why expend that much effort or resources? Sure, we can easily understand how that might apply to special projects or circumstances, but to a daily routine, as a way of life? What's the payoff? Well, according to Philip Reed, former chairman of the board for General Electric, it's satisfaction and a sense of making a difference. In his observation, those people who seem both to give and to get the most out of life have two things in common. First, they do whatever they're doing "all out", whether it's work or play, dull or boring, little or big. They aren't necessarily flashy or compulsive about it. They've just made a habit of being satisfied only with their best effort. The second thing he says such people have in common is "the rather special satisfaction, the deep-down joy" they get out of being able to help other people. Just to be able to do a little something extra for a friend, client, patient, or even a complete stranger. For these people, it's a most rewarding experience. If "giving it all you've got" or "giving it the whole nine yards" is based simply on greed, anger, a drive for control, or even a lack of self-esteem, it can burn us out and leave us dispirited or empty. How much better it is to go through our day giving thanks and looking for ways to make life better. The REAL secret of "giving it all you've got," it would appear, is doing it out of a sense of "delight"...a matter of attitude and maturity. This is something to which all of us might aspire, something that might enrich our lives in ways we never expected...and something to consider. CAPT J. David Atwater, CHC, USN |
