Learn To Value Your Own Effort (even If Others Don’t)

Effort is movement , emotion and thought. Few dimensions mobilize as many resources and energy as the small personal advances and triumphs we make daily to reach a goal. So, if there is anything truly important, it is to learn to value one’s effort without waiting for others to do it; without taking into account disapprovals or criticisms that, far from helping, end up discouraging.

When was the last time you achieved something? Do you have any projects in mind at the moment? If there is something we all know, it is that living means always being on the move, generating changes, promoting achievements, shaping a reality that fits our dreams or needs.

Today we can aim to prepare a birthday party for our child, for example. Tomorrow we may have to deliver a project at work and, in a few months, perhaps, our biggest goal will be to participate in an interview.

Throughout our life cycle, small and large goals emerge that “force” us to give our best. And that, as we well know, is not very easy. It implies time, it implies putting certain things aside, it requires suffering in most cases, and sometimes we are even forced to establish certain filters about our surroundings in order not to leave our dreams behind.

It is very possible that one of our readers is familiar with the work of R. Tait McKenzie. This sculptor, doctor and athlete reflected the concept of “effort” in his works like no one else. He not only had talents as an artist, but thanks to him the foundations of modern physiotherapy were laid.

So one of the ideas he always conveyed in his sculptures and in his own patients was that even if every dream, sporting or professional goal required a lot of effort and suffering, the brain should always be happy. The mind is, without a doubt, a powerful muscle that can be trained.

Valuing your own effort, the secret to well-being

Learning to value one’s effort is the first step towards personal growth. It is walking along the path of uncertainty, supporting the slope that is not far from our feet. Understanding this is necessary for a very simple reason.

The way to achieve a goal can be infinitely lonely, and it is common to receive criticism, it is common to notice the distrust of someone close to us to imply that, perhaps, we will not be able to reach our goal.

Thus, in order not to doubt yourself any longer, it is worth understanding an aspect of our neurobiology. The human brain was designed to “grow” with effort. In fact, renowned neuroscientists such as Dr Kelly Lambert at the University of Richmond have published interesting research to inform us about a very particular brain region related to this very aspect.

There is a neuronal network that connects the nucleus accumbens with the striatum and the prefrontal cortex. These areas were what Dr. Lambert called the “effort driven rewards loop.” What does that mean? Basically, when we combine action, thought and emotion to achieve a specific goal, the brain changes, gets motivated and something incredible starts to happen: neuroplasticity. 

On the other hand, something that is also revealed by this research is that the value of one’s effort is the secret to overcoming from depressive disorders to other complex psychological realities. Factors such as movement, performing creative tasks and focusing our thinking towards a clear goal (recovery), in turn, favor this neuronal awakening that can help us experience good improvements.

Whatever the result, effort is growth

Now let’s go to a motto that, if repeated, looks like a mantra: “Whoever tries hard always achieves his purpose.” This message, which has undoubtedly been conveyed by the self-help literature, has important nuances.

Sometimes society itself does not reward those who make the most effort, but rather those it chooses, those who receive privileges or who are more “blessed” by luck.

Sometimes we fail, don’t achieve, or don’t get the success we thought we would at first. In fact, studies, such as the one carried out by Dr. Raimond Kusurkar at the University of Amsterdam in 2012, explain that motivation and effort improve student performance.

However, it does not guarantee that 100% of them will always obtain good qualifications. There are many other factors that determine an eligibility, and the student does not control them all.

Thus, and above all, there is a central aspect: valuing one’s effort is sowing the basis of self-esteem and self-love. It’s learning not to depend on other people’s opinions to sculpt our projects.

In this way, every effort is growth, learning and added value, regardless of the result. These are all exceptional skills that no one can deny us or take away from us.

After all, it doesn’t matter if the desired goal is achieved today or tomorrow. Sometimes, on this journey of effort and motivation, we find other paths, other purposes that may end up becoming more significant at a given moment.

In this sense, the essential thing is to always wake up having dreams and never neglect the self-love through which we are proud of everything we have already achieved.