Why Effort is Overrated

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Added: Mon. Feb 04, 2013 12:38pm
Posted in: Hockey

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So, what do you do when all the preparation, all the planning and all the best intentions result in an old-fashioned butt-kicking?



I coach a youth hockey team, and brother, did we get beat! So, as the "leader," it's up to me to pull a positive out from rubble. And how's this for a twist... More times than not, the "wisdom" I bestow upon them does just as much good for me! And it seems the things we teach kids, under the guise of sports, are actually the things we all need to remember to win at life. Here's the lesson for this week:

Effort is not enough! What? isn't effort everything? Don't we always tell kids, "Well, as long as you tried your best..." HORSEHOCKEY! That is LOSER TALK! When we say that, it makes it seem like expending effort is the goal. It is not! Effort is merely a tactic, a strategy towards the actual goal. So what's the goal? The goal is the result. In hockey, it's beating the opponent to the loose puck. It's preventing the puck from going in your net. It's not just getting off a good shot, it's SCORING! Anything less, as already pointed out, is what we say to the loser. 

So, no. Effort is NOT enough. And to let yourself accept that it is, will relegate you to a life of excuses. The referee was horrible, the ice was so slow, the other team played dirty. Those are things my team told themselves. Sound familiar? When we grow up, they sound more like this: Well, these are tight times, the boss won't listen to me, I don't interview well, I'm must not be what they're looking for, they have no idea how much I actually do, that other guy is such a brown-noser!

So take a moment and think about your situation. What's not going right? What are your biggest frustrations? What do wish was different? You're probably putting in the effort. Maybe it's time to focus on getting the result.