No Matter What, I Will Always Choose Effort

I want to experience life at its fullest. I want to love people. I want to be raw. I want to take chances. I want to have at least tried, even if it means that my pride and dignity might be wounded along the way.

Through countless observations of myself and others, I can’t help but see how a little more effort could have gone a long way. I know that choosing safe options is almost always more tempting because it is comfortable. Yet these repeated safe choices can result in a very boring and predictable life.

Effort is not always easy, nor is it always the natural thing to do, but it can save you a lot of pain and guilt that is useless, that chips bits of your soul away and replaces it with a good kind of pain and obstacles that stimulate you and provide you with more hunger for life. This is because when you consciously don’t put effort in, then you are painfully aware that whatever will become of you will be because of your choices. However, when you put the effort in, then at least you know you are playing your part and you’ll not fall into self-loathing.

A lot of times, people don’t put effort in their relationships, their passions, their looks, their future goals, or even in knowing what they want out of life. Instead of showing care to their friends or significant others, they remain silent. Instead of investing in their passions, they never start cultivating their skills. Instead of having the difficult conversations with themselves about what they truly want out of life, they just go with the flow, not really knowing what they are doing day in and day out.

I get that investing in ourselves and people and bettering our lives is scary because you’re not sure if you will get that return on investment. You’re not sure if your friends will give you the same love or hold space for you when you are vulnerable. You are not sure if that business will work out even if you put in the effort. You’re not sure if that relationship is going to last if you put in the effort. You’re not sure if you can handle the new identity that will be shaped by your new experiences. It’s true that we can be unsure of many things, but what I do know is that effort is always better than none because you’ll hardly see anyone putting consistent effort in anything without any positive results, even if they are minimal.

I know that you might get rejected or that you might find out you suck at something or might get really tired of putting in the effort because it is not a walk in the park. I know that egos are fragile and safety is quite seductive. But you’ll also live a much fuller experience by putting in effort and you’ll also be proud of yourself at the end of the day. Someone who puts in effort in their lives goes a long way. Be that person.