“Virtue proceeds through effort.”
–Euripides
Those words were written more than 2,400 years ago. Euripides, the Greek dramatist, also wrote, “With slight efforts, how should one obtain great results. It is foolish even to desire it.” Obviously, these words are as true today as they were more than two thousand years ago.
Everything worthwhile takes effort, and usually the more effort we put into it, the greater results we get in return. For example, good friendships require effort. We must work at our friendships to keep them intact and to bring them to full bloom. If we want good friends, we must be good friends, and we must be willing to make sacrifices at times in order to hold up our end of the friendship.
Parenting is an area where much effort is required. Good parents make many sacrifices in order to nurture their children and prepare them for lives of their own. Good intentions aren’t enough, and money is a poor substitute for our time and our love. We must give our children our unconditional love and much of our time in order to be successful at parenting.
If we want to have successful careers, we must work hard at accomplishing our goals. There are few true shortcuts in life, and those who are always looking for them rarely get very far. The first important step toward a successful career is a good education, and none of us are able to get a good education without a lot of effort. The more effort we put into our education, the stronger foundation we will have upon which to build a successful career.
Once we have the formal education, we must put it to work and continue to build upon it throughout our lives. We must be willing and able to take risks, work hard and bounce back from failures if we are to have reasonable success at our endeavors. Effort is an essential ingredient in any kind of success, and it is especially required for career success.
Many people think they would like to be writers, artists, entertainers and so forth, but only a small minority of such people are willing to put forth the effort and endure the disappointments that are an inevitable part of becoming successful. What they really want is to somehow instantly become successful without going through the long arduous journey that is required to reach that destination.
Would-be writers often want to “have written” more than they want to write. The same is true of would-be artists and entertainers. Life just doesn’t work that way. Many writers spend decades writing before receiving much recognition or success. Successful pianists usually devote their entire lives, from childhood on, to daily practice as part of their effort to succeed. There is a story of a man asking for directions in New York City. He asked a local person, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Without hesitation, the New Yorker replied, “Practice, practice, practice!”
Think about it.
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Copyright 2024
Allen W. Smith
