There’s a tendency to always
define success based on achievement.
People focus on the end result.
They like to see the “finished product.”
But is that all there is to success?
Putting a man on the moon
is a tremendous achievement,
but what about all the years of effort
it took to get him there?
The birth of a baby is a great event
and everyone lauds the baby’s charm,
but what about the nine months
that the mother carried the baby
and the labor pain she endured?
Sitting down in someone ‘s home
and enjoying a wonderful meal
results in compliments about the food,
but what about all the planning, shopping,
cooking and presentation it took
to get it on the table?
The runner who wins a marathon race
gets praise and awards for finishing first,
but what about all the training
and effort it took to run the race
and what about the effort put forth
by the many others who also
finished the race behind the winner?
Thomas Edison once said,
”Great accomplishments depend not so
much on ingenuity as on hard work.
Genius is one percent inspiration
and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
Perhaps it’s time to give more
attention and praise to effort.
Isn’t one’s best effort also success?