You are (probably) doing enough
Well-being 🌿 | Be kind 🤗 | #Self-compassion #Kindness #Productivity
TL;DR
You don’t have to always suffer to have a meaningful impact.
Ease and simplicity can indicate proficiency and efficiency.
Achievements don't always require pushing boundaries; finding balance is essential.
Seed
Some people believe that their efforts only hold value if they suffer while accomplishing their goals. There's a prevalent notion that if something comes easily, it must be less meaningful than if it were a struggle. However, this perspective isn't necessarily accurate.
The measure of worth should not be solely determined by the level of difficulty or hardship one faces during the process. It actually depends a lot on the context. The value of our achievements can be seen by the impact they have, the effort we put or the intention we had. It depends on the ones who are on the receiving end of what we do.
Ease and simplicity can signify efficiency and proficiency. Perhaps you're already highly productive and don't experience struggle because it's become a part of your routine. Maybe what you're doing today is good enough, and constantly pushing beyond that may not be necessary. Actually, overextending oneself too often can be counterproductive. We rarely excel in anything while we’re burnt out.
So, suffering doesn't always mean doing things right. And actually, being your best self and spreading happiness around you can be enough to bring value, joy, and positivity to others' lives.
Choosing to make yourself miserable isn't always proof of doing a lot for others. These two concepts don't have to be tightly intertwined in your mind. You have the option to contribute to others while feeling fulfilled.
Of course, occasionally, you may need to push yourself to grow, which is entirely acceptable. But you don't always have to push the boundary further; balance is key.
Life doesn't always have to be a competition. If that's your drive, go ahead and compete, but ensure you are aligned with yourself before engaging. Remember, there's likely at least one other person somewhere in this world who’s better or as good as you. And if you don't feel like putting the effort to be the absolute best at something, make sure you accept it for what it is. No matter what path you choose, be sure to be honest with yourself and be conscious about the reasons why you make this choice.
Example
There’s something about the topic of this Seed I’d love to get your opinion on.
Can you think of an “equation” to measure the worth of your actions?
Let me propose four variables to start: impact, opportunity cost, intention, effort.
Let’s take as a first example a kid who wants to surprise their parents by cleaning all the windows at home. The value of this action could be measured by:
the impact of the action itself: how valuable is it to have cleaner windows at home? is the cleaning good enough or did it make the windows look worse? …
the opportunity cost of this action: could the kid have done something else instead that was more valuable? is the result great, but they used 12 bottles of cleaning product and 4 packs of kitchen towels? …
the intention behind this action: did the kid mean to help? did they just do it for fun?
the effort required to accomplish: was it difficult for them to do it? did it take them a lot of time?
Now consider the same variables, with this second example: this kid - really into surprise cleaning, apparently - decides to clean their parent’s car. And they just do so with a dry cloth, without washing the car with water beforehand, leading to, yes, less dust and dirt, but oh my, also wonderful scratches all over the car.
How do you measure the value of this action?
The intentions and efforts might sometimes not be enough to compensate for negative impact and/or intentions.
But I can’t think of a realistic example of a positive impact being dragged down by the intention and effort variables. Can you?
Let me know what’s your equation to estimate the value of one’s actions. I’m really curious.
Bonus
If this Seed’s topic resonates with you, you might want to search for content around Toxic Productivity.
Here is one video I found when searching the subject. If you find the first 10 minutes uncomfortable to hear, be sure to listen to the recommendations coming after that. You might fin gold there.