What We Value Most Costs Us Effort

What We Value Most Costs Us Effort

Last update: 28 July, 2022

In life, what we value most is what costs us effort, as it allows us to grow and improve ourselves. Getting what we intended could be difficult, costly and long and yet, this makes it more valuable.

The value lies precisely in that we have put a part of ourselves into the accomplishment that we have achieved. We have given part of our courage, our desire to improve ourselves and get up when we have been hit again and again. When we were saved by the last thread on certain occasions, when we could not see anything to support us and hope was practically nil.  It is like a kind of open-heart surgery.

However, when life was comfortable for us, because it was given to us or it was already prepared for us, the joy of obtaining something that was wanted was probably not as big. Neither was the memory has been engraved in us. Except, of course, when fate was put in our hands it was very necessary.

Comfort, enemy of growth

Growing up is not easy, since it means failing, falling and being disappointed many times. However, growing is natural and to this end, life asks us for effort as currency. Sweat, real or imaginary, is what gives value to our achievements and makes them special.

Staying in our comfort zone protects us from failure, although that doesn’t mean we will be happy. Inside it we set aside governing our life for others or for capricious fate tuned by fortune.

drawing of a comfort zone on the floor with white letters

To grow and be happy, we need to explore, search and strive for what we want. Thus, success and failure will have a meaning in our lives and we will value this based on the effort that we have made.

“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.”

-Napoleon Hill-

Autonomy and maturity

From birth, we are growing and striving to get ahead, avoiding obstacles, learning new things and inventing games and strategies to get what we want. At first, help is essential but then our survival instincts pull us through. If there is a large hole in front of you and you have no other choice, you’ll end up jumping.

When we grow the difficult part is finding the balance between the dependence we were born with and the autonomy we need to grow. It is therefore advisable that at the time of development when children are ready, we let them live their own experiences, their consequences, challenges and exposure to their own efforts to achieve their goals.

The value of effort

Effort allows us to be autonomous and helps us mature, and it is also essential for the development of our self-esteem. When we are exposed to a challenge, difficulty or a problem and are able to resolve it with effort and move forward, we discover our capabilities and worth.

figure carrying a rock up a mountain

On the contrary, those people who had life handed to them , hardly have any idea of its value. The truth is that they have not proven to themselves what they are capable of because they didn’t have to.

“Success depends on effort.”

-Sophocles-

Everyone knows what makes them happy

We could wish for an easier, more comfortable life, where others take care of us, protect us, support us, and value us. However, this will not make us happier since we will be living the life that others wish for us, even though it may not be what we want to be happy. If we do not strive to get what we want, we do not value what we have since it probably will not match what we really want.

Only each individual person knows what makes him or her happy and although it costs us effort to obtain it, it’s worth trying. By seeking it and striving for it, we will be following our own path. In addition, we will feel the value of effort, satisfaction and personal pride to discover our worth to trace our own path.

smiling woman laying on a lawn

Happiness is on the way

Experiencing a life of effort sometimes involves pain and sacrifice. However, when we move forward, even in small steps, we can feel the reward from the first step because we feel full, satisfied and happy to walk to the place we marked for ourselves and not where others have brought us.

Happiness is in the value of each step along the way and in the way we intend to go. Provided that it is our own decision and the challenges made are products of our effort and self-worth.

“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not achievement. The total effort is a full victory”

-Mahatma Gandhi-

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This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.