A Mindful Path to Growth and Resilience

“Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” -John F. Kennedy

Have you ever wondered what effort is really about? Do you believe the only path to success is through more effort? Effort isn’t just about spending even more energy, more hours, more work—and more stress. It’s about how we apply energy to get what we truly want. Many people think that effort is about grinding longer and harder. But what if it’s more about alignment and connection than intensity?

The three degrees of effort are an approach to understanding how to apply more strategic effort to act on difficult learning and challenging setbacks.

First Degree of Effort: Showing Up

The first degree of effort is about showing up. You are willing to become available and active. Instead of focusing on negative outcomes and roadblocks, you focus on the mission that drives you. Showing up means you attend, make the phone call, meet someone, and open up to what matters.

Effort requires openness and vulnerability—to show up and not have all the answers—to mind the gap, and to connect with others. As we focus on the learning, we are able to detach ourselves from the intended result, allowing room for mistakes. Consequently, we accept the learning and practice patiently in the process of reaching our goals. Because we show up, we can express what we stand for and connect with like-minded people.

Second Degree of Effort: Standing Up

The second degree of effort is about standing up. You get involved by assuming responsibility. You propose ideas, and you commit to the process of reaching your vision. Ask yourself: how can I begin to get involved? How can I contribute? How can I express my willingness to grow and create value?

Standing up requires us to be conscious of our values (what we care about) and to set boundaries that help clarify what to do when we encounter a setback. We then center our actions around our purpose to reach our goals: how is this action contributing to the main cause? To do this, find a supportive environment where effort is valued over talent.

Third Degree of Effort: Assisting

The third degree of effort is about assisting. You offer. It takes humility to coach, mentor, and guide those who are starting out. The question is: what are you capable of teaching? We all have a unique skill set to offer the world. But most of us haven’t shared it yet. Why not? How can we begin to share it?

This third degree makes the second degree of effort possible. Spending effort wisely means you don’t have to be aggressive and adopt a do-it-yourself attitude to get things done. Instead, you can surround yourself with a team or an organization that values mentoring and encourages growth.

The degrees of effort are cyclical. Life is cyclical. When you want to begin (or change) something, you return to the first degree. And it can feel stressful to start because that means we’re no longer in control. The three degrees of effort remind us that it was never about effortless or impulsive action, but about a mindful approach to reach our goals. Believing in effort means that we can begin again, apply ourselves, and grow.

Think about your work, personal projects, or simply something that’s relevant for you. Which degree are you in right now—and what’s one step you can take today to move forward?