Back in college, I captained my dorm's intramural volleyball team. Our haphazard collection of residents coalesced into a surprisingly formidable squad, boasting a nearly undefeated season before advancing to the playoffs.

Paradoxically, we dispatched good teams with little effort while struggling against far weaker opponents. Facing capable players, we rose to the occasion and performed like stars; against inept teams, we fell apart and played like bums.

Human psychology explains why. When approaching an easy task, our lazy brains calculate the least amount of energy necessary for success. Once we've defaulted to less-than-maximum effort, we easily slip to an even lower threshold and end up flailing at completing a job that should pose no challenge whatsoever.

Which brings us to this week's entry into the Ethical Lexicon:

Tack | verb

To chart a zigzag course by turning a ship's bow into the wind.

Even those who have never taken a step off dry land grasp the basic idea of sailing: The wind fills your sail and carries your boat across the surface of the water. Whether you're crossing New York's East River or the Strait of Magellan, the principle is the same.

But if the wind is in your face, blowing from the direction you want to travel, what do you do then?

You tack. By turning the prow of your boat 45 degrees from the oncoming wind, first to the right and then to the left, you can zigzag your way against the wind to reach your destination.

Tilting the sails at an angle produces a lateral force. However, a boat can't move sideways; the keel is designed to slice through the water, always driving the boat in the direction of the bow. As a result, the hull channels the angular force against the sail to propel the vessel forward into the wind.

But that's not the most interesting part. What's really fascinating is that by tacking into the wind you sail faster than you can with the wind at your back.

Don't ask me to explain the physics, but the phenomenon is genuine. Harnessing the oncoming wind at an oblique angle actually drives the boat at a higher velocity than it can travel with the wind fully behind it.

For sailors and non-sailors alike, the lessons of the sea translate into compelling lessons for life and business.

In 2012, Nassim Taleb introduced readers to the concept he calls antifragile — the property of building strength by confronting resistance. What's remarkable is how he successfully marketed this idea as revolutionary in a culture where everyone already took it for granted.

How do you structure a new workout regimen at the gym? You start by lifting five-pound weights and setting the treadmill's resistance to zero. As you grow stronger over time, you move incrementally to heavier weights and increase the resistance setting.

Why don't you stick with the lighter weights and leave the setting where it is? We all know the bodybuilder's mantra: no pain, no gain.

This is why Olympic gold rarely goes to the high-diver who flawlessly executes a simple swan dive, but to the one who not-quite-perfectly pulls off a triple back somersault with a double twist. Effortless perfection encourages mediocrity. Stretching beyond our comfort zone propels us toward greater achievement.

This doesn't mean we need to go looking for problems. It does mean that we should always seek to set the bar higher for ourselves. Every difficulty provides an opportunity to grow stronger. Every obstacle summons us to conquer the next horizon.

So, when life gives you smooth sailing, take advantage of the calm to prepare for the next storm. Generate a little internal resistance by contemplating ways of pushing yourself to an even higher level of performance.

With the wind full at your back, enjoy the moment. But remember that the inevitable change in the wind allows you to move ahead faster and grow stronger in the process. Embracing each new challenge provides the best preparation for successfully conquering it as it arrives.

See more by Yonason Goldson and features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists; visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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