Effort

There are two things in life you have complete control over, your attitude and effort. Today’s topic is about the second part of this statement, effort. Effort is a characteristic that everyone should want to be known for providing. If you are not known for giving your all, there is a high likelihood you are known as being lazy. No one should want to be lazy and this reflection of yourself is completely up to your own actions. There is no one preventing you from working hard aside from yourself.

Effort is a daily choice, an hourly choice, a minute-by-minute choice you are the sole determining factor in its outcome. I have previously spoken about going through the motions, negotiating with yourself, winning the seconds, and self-talk. All of these topics in some way or other relate to the effort you provide. With everything we do or seek to accomplish there are levels of effort needed to achieve and then levels of effort we choose to deploy. Ask yourself which level of effort you are closer to. Can you do more, or are you in the sweet spot of where you want to be? Since effort can be split down into the seconds, it is a near-constant choice determining our actions.

There is no permission needed to be a hard worker. There is no test taken to grant you the skills to work hard. There is no one that can snap their fingers and make you a hard worker. The ability to work hard is a simple choice. A simple choice that your capacity to choose grows as you continue to choose this choice. When studying for a test, do you stop studying when you think you can do well, or when you know the material? When you work out do you skip reps, or go one more? When you work in teams are you the teammate leading, or are you the teammate hoping someone else picks up the slack? In all of these scenarios, there is a lazy and effort-based option. Which options do you want to choose?

Inspiration for today came from the race I am running. There is a chance I am disappointed with my overall time, I have set an ambitious goal for my capabilities. However, I will not have shame in not achieving my goal because I know how I have prepared. What I would have shame in is not giving my all. During the race today my effort will be total and complete. There will be nothing left in the tank when I cross the finish line. Effort is a choice and is what I am choosing.