Choice vs Effort

This past week I’ve been watching the miracle of my 14-year-old transforming from a don’t-want-to-get-up, lazy bones, do-things-only-when-asked, moody teenager into an almost always up with his alarm, productive, initiative taking, generous human. WOW! This is amazing! I don’t want to interrupt whatever is happening, but I can’t help but be curious as to what caused the sudden switch. What’s the motivator? It can’t be the constant nagging from us parents, the daily pushes to put forth more effort. It is something inside him, something he alone owns – choice versus effort.

Effort Toward Quality

This morning Seth Godin shared his blog post for the day and it helped clarify this for me. Here’s what he has to say:

Quality

Considering Mason, what we have been looking for from him is quality. Productivity with quality. Not half-a$$ed efforts that barely suffice. No last minute scrambles to complete an assignment. Not stuffing things under the bed as a way of cleaning up. We’ve wanted quality work. Thoughtfully written essays. Carefully planned days that make the most of his homeschooling opportunity. Time spent each day practicing the sports and activities he enjoys.

So what did we do? Ask for more effort, naturally. If only he’d go to bed earlier and get up on time. If only he’d apply a little effort. Push harder and then it will work.

Effort Quality Gap

Maybe with effort he’d close the gap between Not Quality and Quality. Just try. Not even try harder, just try at all. It felt logical that Effort=Quality. The more effort we apply, the better the outcome. Right?

But that’s not quite it.

Yes, effort must be applied. But before that comes choice.

Choice

It’s the decision to apply effort that matters. That’s the key! Without choice, effort is nearly impossible. But with choice, effort becomes effortless.

Choice vs Effort

And that is exactly what Mason has done. For whatever reason/s, he has made the choice to do his life differently. He is up and going each day with so many beautiful activities, creative endeavors, generous offerings, and tender moments (with some sassy teenage moments sprinkled in, too) and is remarking each day at how easy it all is. He’s acutely aware of how much time he used to waste complaining and stubbornly refusing to do the things that really take no time or effort at all.

His effort didn’t change – he’s putting forth less effort now.

His choice changed.

There it is. Choice vs effort.

The next time something feels difficult, I’m going to pause and review where my choice is vs my effort. Thank you, Seth, for illuminating the difference today and guiding me towards unearthing this overly obvious difference. We have found the answer to your question “how do we do this work?” We know where to focus our energy now.

Choice vs Effort

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