Concentrated Effort

by Bryan Golden

“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” – Napoleon Hill

“It’s not easy being successful” is a claim I have heard from people who are making excuses for not pursuing their dreams.  It’s true, success does take effort.  But it also takes as much, if not more, effort to continuously struggle without being on a path to success.

Living takes effort.  However, you have the power to formulate any strategy you want for expending your effort.  You can scatter your efforts so nothing is accomplished.  Or you can concentrate your effort into a powerful force.

What happens when spilled jet fuel on a runway is ignited?  It burns, creates a lot of heat, but doesn’t get you anywhere.  But burn it in a jet engine and you then have the means to get to a specific destination.

Why are there different results?  When the fuel is burned on the ground, its effort is dispersed and nothing is accomplished.  In a jet engine, the effort is concentrated and directed in one direction.  Only in the engine will the fuel’s effort get you anywhere,

In addition to concentrating your efforts, it is imperative to provide enough effort to get the job done.  Imagine it takes a full tank with 200 gallons of fuel to fly to your objective.  What would happen if you only put in 190 gallons?  You would crash short of reaching your goal.

What about a situation where you have a full tank but it’s still not enough to take you to your target?  You would need to stop and refuel as many times as necessary in order to complete your trip successfully.

Unfortunately, many people either do not put enough fuel into their tanks or don’t refuel as needed.  So it’s no surprise they never reach their destination.

It takes a lot more effort to get your dreams off the ground than it does to keep them going.  It’s during this takeoff phase that people are prone to becoming discouraged.  Those who provide the necessary effort to lift off will enjoy the benefits for a long time.

Lori and Carol are childhood friends.  They graduated from high school together.  Each got married and started a family.  They even had two kids each.  In their early 30’s, Lori and Carol were working as clerks in the same financial firm.

Although they worked the same hours as Carol and Lori, the accountants earned a much better salary.  Lori and Carol realized they would have more opportunity if they had accounting degrees.  They enrolled in a local college and began taking night classes.

It took a lot of effort to work full time, take care of their families, and go to school.  After two years, Carol dropped out of the program.  She had become tired of the grind.  Although Lori was also fatigued by the demanding schedule, she kept putting in the necessary effort until she graduated.

Now both Lori and Carol work just as hard at their jobs.  Because of her degree, Lori makes a lot more money.

Lori’s financial situation is better due to the extra effort she expended to get her degree.  While she was in school, Lori had little free time for herself.  Today she enjoys the benefits of her extra effort.

Regardless of how you define success, it takes effort to achieve it.  It also takes just as much effort to struggle without reaching your goals.  So why not expend the effort it takes to live the life you want?