Despite Best Efforts, Shitty Efforts Get Rewarded
I ‘ve witnessed many times the kid who clearly gave a phenomenal effort during a hockey game, only to have their efforts overshadowed by the kid who scored the winning goal—yet put forth a petty effort the entire game. The kid who put forth the shitty effort got all the praise just because they got the result, despite their shitty effort.
How many times have we all put forth petty efforts into our homework because our parents wouldn’t let us do what we wanted to do until it was done? What does this teach us? Get the result regardless of your effort and you will be rewarded.
Now, what happens when we carry this conditioning into our adulthood? We attempt to cut corners, now believing that it’s the results that matter, not so much the efforts.
Why Even Try?
This leads many of us, including myself at one time, to ask “why bother even trying?”.
Since effort doesn’t get rewarded and is largely overlooked, why not find a way to cut corners, cheat, do things the easy way, to avoid the path that may require effort.
Not Trying vs The Path Of Least Resistance
I do feel the need to distinguish the difference between not trying and searching for the path of least resistance.
Not trying is putting forth an effort that doesn’t go beyond going through the motions, that doesn’t go beyond cruise control, that doesn’t go beyond just showing up.
The path of least resistance can have different meanings to different people. To me, the path of least resistance is the path in which we have not created resistance. The resistance we create through fear, doubt, shame, lack of meaning, lack of love, etc.
The path of least resistance doesn’t automatically encompass lack of effort, it encompasses the path where effort can be maximized.
The Effort Is The Journey
After many discussions with people, the journey tends to get overshadowed by the end game, the final result.
What is the fastest way to get there while putting in the least amount of effort?
The end result is reached and yet something still feels like it’s missing. There seems to be a lack of fulfillment. This is because
life is a journey, not an end game.
When you attempt to skip the journey and all its’ illustrious overcomings and resilience, you are skipping out on all that life has to offer. As long as you try and do this, you will never feel fulfillment when you reach your destination.
Results brought on without effort or challenge are unfulfilling.
This Is Why 70% Of Lottery Winners Struggle
According to the National Endowment for Financial Education, 70% of major lottery winners end up in financial difficulty. It is also reported that 1/3 of lottery winners go bankrupt.
There are reports on what these people do with their money to end up in such financial hardship, but what doesn’t get discussed much is the underlying reasons why these people can’t seem to keep the money they won.
I propose that the number one reason 70% of major lottery winners end up in a financial struggle is that they feel they didn’t earn it. They didn’t put in the blood, sweat, and tears. They didn’t create the result through a journey of overcoming challenges and massively rewarding efforts.
They essentially got something for nothing.
This is what happens when the journey is overlooked or skipped altogether. The result becomes an unrewarding focal point that leads one to ask themselves why they still feel so empty inside.
The Result Of Inner World Matching Outer World
When we are on the receiving end of a result we feel we did not earn, we will squander away the result any way we can in order to have our outer world matching our inner world.
Since we feel we did not earn the result, we must eliminate the result or discredit the result through means such as self-sabotage.
If we do not feel fulfillment inside of us, we feel somewhat empty, something is missing. When we feel empty inside we will create a world outside of us that is also empty. Hence why 70% of major lottery winners run into financial hardship.
When we cheat, cut corners, lie, and look for the easy way out, we lack fulfillment and a sense of earning it. As long as we continue to do this we will feel unfulfilled and/or undeserving.
Embrace The Journey
Hopefully, I have you somewhat convinced by now that the journey is just as important, if not more important, than the result.
Embrace your challenges. Embrace your fears, Embrace your growth. Embrace your sense of fulfillment.
Life is the journey, not the result, embrace it or you will miss out on it.
