Effort

I was recently presented with a quote that I found very indicative of today's societal beliefs. Take a look and tell me what you think.

"Purposeful effort comes to mean, primarily, effort directed to, or resulting in, a more creditable showing of accumulated wealth."

Ideal, isn't it? You put effort into something, and from your hard work and countless hours of toil, you amass more money than you know how to handle. And only then are you successful. That's the American dream... for some. Clearly, this quote represents said "some" - those individuals who believe success breeds monetary gain. Undeniably, effort mixed with skill and a little bit of luck will lead to success. In turn, it seems as though success and wealth go hand in hand for the majority of the world. In some aspects, rightly so - if effort is placed into areas that can amount to an accumulation of wealth, purposeful effort and hard work will undoubtedly increase the wealth of said hard working individual. I'm talking about people who succeed in business, people who succeed in Hollywood, people who succeed in Medicine, people who succeed in these areas and areas like them - these individuals will all accumulate wealth. In this sense, wealth is as much a side effect of career choice as it is a measure of success.

Often, I feel that we discount the idea of success as anything but wealth. And the aforementioned quote just furthers my belief. We, as a society, are obsessed with money. We are consumed by consumerism, bought by what money can buy. We are force-fed the idea that social status is determined by the things we own, and therefore hinged on how much we can buy with the money that we make. As a society, we feel that effort has to lead to more money. And when we put our efforts into something that doesn't pay up, we are devastated, enraged and eager to cry foul.

I feel that we, in general, are very close-minded in our understanding of success. To me, success is much more than the bills that line my wallet. Success, as the author of the aforementioned quote does get right, is a direct result of effort. But who says effort always has to lead to money? What if you place your efforts in your family? What if you place your efforts into service? What if you place your efforts into love? What if you place your efforts into virtually anything that does not promise an amassing of wealth? Are we to discount efforts placed in anything but work? I, personally, believe that we are heading into dangerous territory if we start thinking that way. There are so many more opportunities to succeed, so many other avenues of life to place one's efforts in besides the pursuit of money, the chasing of greed.

So why not place your efforts in pursuing a stronger relationship with God? Why not place your efforts in building a loving family, creating lasting friendships, and changing the world... rather than wondering how more money can be used to change yourself. That's the way I see it.

Don't get me wrong, I am not naive. I am not foolish enough to believe that we don't need money. Of course, we need money to do everything - I do not discount this, nor do I pretend that this is not the case. I do, however, believe that equating the culmination of effort to an increase of funds is naive. By making claims like this, we place ourselves in such a small box. Personally, I would rather have that strong relationship with God, a loving family, and self-confirmation of my efforts to truly make a difference. Money, really, doesn't hold that much weight with me - it's a necessity, yes, but not something i have to necessarily pursue with all of me. I'm comfortable enough with the life that I am pursuing to not have to feel that I must place my efforts in things that bring me the most money. I'm comfortable enough to place my efforts in the pursuit of happiness (and all that it encompasses), and confident enough to know that money does not equal happiness.

So the question is, what do you pursue? What do you place your efforts in? Place your best effort in all that you do. Strive to succeed in all that you pursue. My only advice - be confident in what you pursue; confident in a knowledge that you will find happiness, that you will grow closer to a God who is everlasting and ever-sustaining, and that you will truly feel successful. Don't let the pursuit of money place a box around you. Instead, place a box around money. Make it one aspect of your life, not the entirety.

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
- Walt Disney