Embrace the Effort and Expand What You’re Capable Of

I wrote a post about how to embrace the effort.   Effort is something I knew very well, and it's helped me differentiate in many scenarios.

It's easy to downplay the benefit of effort, especially because you aren’t rewarded for effort, you’re rewarded for results.  I never got an A for effort (although I did get an E.)

But here's the catch:  YOU have to reward yourself for your own effort.  And just because you don't get the results you wanted, you still need to acknowledge and appreciate your own effort.  It’s critical to your long-term success.

Effort really is an essential ingredient of your personal greatness.  Sure, you can luck into success some of the time, and talent can get you so far, but effort is the difference that makes the difference, and it’s the maker of more consistent success.  Effort is also the key to making more meaning in your life, and it's an integral part of the path of fulfillment.  Yeah, fulfillment happens more when we give our best, where we have our best to give, on a meaningful mission.  Giving your best takes effort, and meaningful missions are always filled with challenges.  That’s why in life … it’s the journey AND the destination (and sometimes the journey is all we’ve got.)

It's wise advice that we should focus on what we control, and let the rest go.  One of the toughest lessons in life is that we can't control everything … and many times, the results are out of our hands.   Sure, we get to influence, but the bigger the challenge, the less we control how the cards will fall. 

But what do we always control?  The effort that we put in.  That’s the difference maker in our lives.

If you're not getting the results you want in work or life, take a look at the effort you are putting in.  If you aren't putting in the effort required, try adding some effort to see if that makes the difference.  In fact, embrace the effort.  Effort is what expands what we're capable of.  Feel the effort, and feel your growth.

When effort is not the trick, it's often a matter of strategy.  Working harder isn't always the answer (though sometimes it is.)  A lot of times it's working smarter.  In many cases, the answer is "AND" ... it’s about working smarter AND working harder.  (What a powerful combo.)

The beauty is that well-applied effort, often pays off.

And if you acknowledge and reward yourself along the way for the effort you put in, that always pays off.

Check out embrace the effort, and put the power of effort on your side.