Everything you want to achieve in life requires one little word – Effort.

I realized this a couple of weeks ago as I prepared to go swimming.

There’s quite a bit of effort that goes into making this happen.

First I need to braid my hair, which takes about 20 minutes.

Then I need to put my bathing suit, swimming cap, goggles and swim shoes into my gym bag along with my towel.

Next I have to make sure I have the lock for my locker.

Then I need to decide if I’m going to workout before swimming because that requires a different set of clothes.

Then I need to drive 10 minutes to the gym and park my car and walk into the gym.

You get the idea.

There are quite a few decisions and a lot of effort that goes into making a simple decision.

I think it’s like that with most things we do on a daily bases and we normally ignore the whole process.

Just think about your morning routine.

How much effort do you put into getting ready for work?

Why do you do it?

What would happen if you put less effort into the process?

What would happen if you put more effort into it?

There’s a difference between just showing up with wrinkly clothes and making sure your pants are nicely ironed.

It’s all in the effort.

What kind of effort do you put into your relationships?

Do you tell those your loved ones how much you appreciate them?

Do they know that you brag about them to your co-workers and friends?

Are they aware of how much you cherish spending time with them?

If not, why not?

It requires effort.

Take some time this week to explore what you’re putting your effort into.

Is it things that move you towards your goal of living a happy life or away from it?

If it’s the latter, what changes can you make to move towards happiness?

Living purposefully Takes Effort.

It just depends on how much you really want to put in.