Joyful effort

Effort often gets a bad reputation. Too many people assume that effort is something to be avoided. Self-help programs promise to reveal the secrets of “effortless success” as if that’s something to be desired. There’s a whole get-rich-quick industry built on selling the concept of making loads of money without doing much work. Millions of people buy lottery tickets every day in hopes of being able to live the good life without putting forth any effort.

But is effort really so bad? Is the “good life” really a life without effort? No — absolutely not. Effort is a joy. Every person alive longs to make a difference. The ability to make an effort is truly a blessing.

The problem with effort is not the effort itself. The problem with effort is the meaning behind it, or lack thereof. We don’t really have the desire to avoid effort. We have the desire to avoid meaningless effort.

Think about it. If there’s something you really want to do, you’ll make whatever effort is necessary to get it done. If there’s something else that you really don’t want to do, you’ll probably spend more time putting it off and avoiding it than you would spend if you just went ahead and finished it.

Instead of trying to force yourself to do what you don’t want to do, there’s a much more effective approach. Remind yourself why you’re doing it. Connect that effort to something positive and meaningful within yourself. By doing that, you can transform it from meaningless effort into meaningful effort.

So how exactly do you do that? How do you make the connection between the seemingly undesirable effort and a meaningful purpose? You make the connection by asking why, and continuing to ask why until you arrive at a compelling answer.

Why should I file my tax return? Because I don’t want to go to jail or have my house seized. Why don’t I want to go to jail? Because I want to continue working and supporting my family and because I value my freedom. Why do I want to continue working and supporting my family? Because I love them. Is that a good enough, meaningful enough reason? Absolutely. I think I’ll get busy with my tax return.

Keep asking why until you find a reason that really means something to you. And if you can’t find that reason, then there’s really no point in making the effort anyway.

Make joyful efforts, with real meaning behind them, and you’ll truly be living the good life.