After reading with keen interest the article below a few years ago I questioned myself.   Was I really regularly complaining about ‘how difficult’, ‘how demanding’, ‘how much effort’ a task could be?

I had to be honest with myself and admit that, yes, I found it much easier to procrastinate or complain.  I was a ‘victim’ of circumstances, people, time, etc, and therefore it was a struggle to do or be what I wanted to do or to be.  The effort was too great!

I would often end up feeling guilty for having, once again, opted out and wasted more of my time.

I decided to try out this ‘love the effort’ thing!  I must admit that at first it was not easy to ‘love the effort’ and the ‘victim of circumstances’ in me was crying out!

Reading through the article again I began to understand I could choose a more helpful attitude.  Once I changed my mindset and made ‘love the effort’ one of my habits, my approach to my work tasks and personal life chores became more gratifying.

I now accept that yes, an effort may be involved in my daily tasks, except now I love feeling that, step by step, I achieve what I set to do. Gratitude has now replaced ‘victimhood’.

Here it is… I invite you to read this short article and then consider how ‘love the effort’ may help change your life for the better.

Love the Effort

To do your best at the effort, love the effort.  Rather than avoiding and delaying and cursing what you must do, dive into it with gratitude and enthusiasm.

If it must be done, you might as well do it in your most effective and creative state.  Instead of assuming that any particular task is undesirable, approach it as the very best thing you could be doing at the moment.

Those who assume that effort is a curse are repeatedly beaten down by the efforts they must make.  Those who see effort, any effort, as a blessing end up being truly blessed by those efforts.

It’s your choice, so make the smart, empowering one.  Decide to embrace, enjoy and love the effort, and you’ll reap great benefits from it.

The ability to make a difference by taking action is an essential element of life.  Choose to rejoice at every opportunity to do so.

Lose the complaints, the self-pity, the feelings of frustration, and love the effort.  Love the effort you give to life, and discover how much the whole life loves you back.

Ralph Marston