Remember, Your Effort Matters More Than Your Results

You might feel frustrated because it seems like your effort isn’t paying off. Because you’ve been working your butt off for years and don’t have anything to show for it. Because when you were younger, you thought you would be in a better place by now – more successful with more money and more confidence in your abilities. But you have to remember that your effort still matters. Even though you haven’t reached your intended destination, you should be proud of yourself for how far you’ve come. You should be proud of yourself for how hard you try, every single day, even if you aren’t able to see the finish line in the distance. It takes a lot of strength and determination to keep going. It takes passion and persistence. The fact that you haven’t given up on yourself is proof that you have what it takes to succeed. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean that it never will. You need to keep pushing, keep moving forward, even if you’re only shuffling with baby steps. Any level of progress is still progress. It’s still a step in the right direction, which is better than moving backward or even standing in place.  

Remember, not all achievements can be easily tracked. Maybe you haven’t gotten your dream career or home or paycheck yet. But you’re still growing each and every day. You’re still developing, transforming, blossoming. You shouldn’t discredit how much you’ve accomplished, simply because you haven’t crossed off your main goal yet. What you’re doing is still impressive – because you’re trying. You don’t give yourself enough credit for the energy you put in, for the obstacles you’ve overcome, for the stress you’ve endured. So many people would have given up by now. In fact, so many people don’t even have the guts to take a risk in the first place. So many people ignore their dreams because they feel like chasing them would be a waste of time. But you? You’ve been working your hardest. You’ve been defying the odds. It might feel discouraging to know that you’ve given it your all and things still haven’t worked out – but your hard work is something that should make you proud. You aren’t phoning it in. You aren’t ignoring your dreams or waiting until tomorrow to start working toward them. You’re putting in effort day after day, and that already puts you ahead of the crowd.

It’s always frustrating when you aren’t able to see results, but your accomplishments on paper have nothing to do with your worth. They have nothing to do with your talent. You need to stop assuming that your failures make you a failure. The fact that you’re working so hard already makes you a success. Remember, your effort matters more than your results. You should be proud that you’re doing the right thing. Proud that you haven’t let your doubts convince you to give up. Proud that you’re still fighting, even when it feels like the world is against you.