Success is in the Effort

My heart goes out to young athletes who cry tears of inadequacy after a rough performance. Those tears, even if just on the inside, indicate a flawed perspective. Athletes who think they are bad teammates or bad people just because they had a rough game are, to be blunt, ignorant about how sports really work. Like so many others, they have been led astray by a sports culture that focuses too much on the simplicity of the scoreboard.

Struggling is a necessary part of the process of success. When a team issues a uniform, it accepts weaknesses along with strengths. Everyone has both. What a championship team really asks of its members is effort. Effort to learn, effort to perform, and effort to help teammates do the same. That is all. Your best effort is always good enough.

What does it take to give your best effort? That is a big question! It is certainly more than simply trying hard. It is certainly not measurable by any single variable. However, it is defineable. Because of the importance of this question, I consider this diagram to be one of my most significant professional achievements. Ultimately, earning the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you did your best comes down to doing everything you know to do at this point in your life to create an ideal state, commit to a plan, and focus. 

Printable: Best_Effort_Diagram_Handout_2013.pdf

What is most impactful about this to you?

What other key point or concept would you add?