There is truth in the reality that taking that first step towards achieving something you’ve always wanted is better than not taking that step. Exercise mavens chant this mantra all the time. ‘Just move’, ‘get off the couch’, ‘any effort is a good start’…. But after that first effort it takes a bit more. There is a decided difference between whole hearted effort and half-assed participation. Both will get you somewhere, but where and when and with what result? Slow and steady does win the race, but underneath that concept is the fact that slow or not, the turtle is giving it his all. He isn’t slow because he’s dragging his feet. His top speed just seems slow in comparison to others such as the rabbit. And we know where his over confidence and half-assed efforts got him.
Effort is not equal to competency, to skill, to achievement or to success. If you put a huge amount of effort into something, you aren’t guaranteed to get the outcome that you want. But not putting in the effort guarantees you won’t get it. And putting in only a token amount of effort makes the situation look like you’re trying when you’re not. Which isn’t going to fool the person that matters, which is you. If you want something, if you really want it, them put yourself into it. Give yourself to it. Open yourself up to the adventure of it and see where it takes you. You may be amazed, you may end up somewhere unexpected, you may find things about yourself you never realized, but you will never be disappointed.
Doing something only half way can teach you something about that thing, but it can also teach you about yourself. It can point to the fact that what you think you want and what you really want are two different things. Or it can show you that the path you need to take is different from the one you are walking. It can speak to an identity you have built for yourself that is contrary to who you truly are. It can split you open so you can find the real you. So if you aren’t able to commit to something whole heartedly and you feel at your wit’s end because you are doing all you can do, stop doing. Take a beat and reconsider. Is this what you really need? Is it who you truly are?
