Evaluate Your Effort
Whenever something is not going quite the way I want or expect it helps me to sit back and ask myself the question – How much energy am I putting in?
*Note the best time in my opinion to honestly evaluate the situation is when you are not feeling especially emotional about the subject. For example, if you are evaluating how your marriage is going then you have a much better perspective when you are not in the middle of an argument.
Success Is Related to the Energy That Goes In
My belief is the successes we have in most aspects of our life are largely correlated with how much effort we are putting into them. Of course, as with everything, I’m sure there are some exceptions to the rule. However, the chances of getting a large return out of something that you put very little effort into are probably about as good as winning the lottery. We do like to hope though, don’t we? J
When you are faced with something that you have big hopes for, a lot invested in, or expect a lot out of, ask yourself how many hours of heart, sweat, and tears are you putting in? This is true for relationships, for career aspirations, for health and fitness, and much more. There is a reason the wisdom the more you put in, the more you’ll get out has circulated for ages.
Simplify To Your Top Priorities
In life it is certainly not always easy to put a lot of effort and valuable time into things. For me it is helpful to pick only the top priorities to focus on. Simplify and scale back on the rest. If you stretch yourself too thin you may feel like you’re going no-where fast! There are lots of things I’m passionate about doing but finding peace in not doing everything at once, and putting more effort into fewer things has really helped me.
Doing Too Much Can Be Damaging
Life is short and is truly is a gift. Sometimes we feel in a real big hurry to do too much, and we come out worse in the process. Are there certain activities or relationships you are willing to pour thousands (literally thousands!) of hours into to get better at or get what you want out of them? Start there and give yourself permission to lose a couple, maybe only for the meantime, and not do everything all at one time. You’ll have more to put into your top priorities and will get more out of them in return.
Things Work Out Best When I Put the Most In
In my own life, my marriage, my relationship with my kids, my relationships with those I care about in general, and the activities I’m passionate about, they all go the best when I am putting the most effort in. It’s a lot (did I say A LOT!) of work but immensely rewarding. Remember it is OK if it doesn’t happen overnight, it most likely won’t happen that way.
Never Stop Believing
Put the time in, never stop believing in yourself no matter what comes your way, and I believe you will get there!
Is there an area of your life you would like to put more effort into to get more out of?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts in the comments!
