Opportunity is missed by most people because it is
dressed in overalls and looks like work.
~Thomas Edison
Effort is something I was brought into this world to understand, grasp, hold on to dearly and love with every ounce of my being. At a very young age I heard, repeatedly, “You need to put in some effort”. I’m pretty sure, as a teen, my parents thought my appearance of a lack of effort would be an eternal problem. Little did they know, I was hiding my effort from public view intentionally. I mean, really, why show the world all you have to give at full force from the get go? Then the world will expect the same and more from then on out. I wanted to save it up, enjoy my youth and bust my hiney later.
Now that I’m older, my favorite days are those that are either extremely productive, with my accomplishing a huge pile on the task list. Or the days I get a chance to nap. I really love the days that my youngest doesn’t feel like being still long enough to sleep, yet her temperament could use a 3 hour nap… those are the days I have an actual excuse to lay down with her and pass out for a while. Dreamland, here I come – full effort toward fulfilling my resting obligations and responsibilities.
One of the keys to effort is interest. We can put forth a ton of effort towards an activity we have no interest nor desire to be involved in, and the result will always be less than our best. However, if we can find the interest, the passion and the motivation behind a project, the effort will be easy. It will still require work, but it will be work we enjoy.
I work constantly because I know there is success along the way. I’m not looking for the grand success at the end of the road as much as I’m seeking the small gold stars as I travel my path. I love what I do, and that makes all the difference in the world not only how much I can accomplish, but how much I appreciate those accomplishments. Sure, there are days I want to do nothing… so I make a deal with myself to work hard before and after, setting tasks to accommodate the break. I also get involved in a variety of things so if one direction gets tiresome, I can easily move to something else and still hit goals I’ve set.
He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand
and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.
~Friedrich Nietzsche
Effort isn’t about sweating and breaking your back. Effort is about progress, baby steps or large leaps. Effort is about consistant, sincere involvement and actions based on goals. Effort is actively working at something… every day.