Effort
It’s a simple premise. The more effort you exert, the more you’ll care about the outcome.
The girl you were into for months, waiting for her to finally be single so you could shoot your shot? The first date with her matters a lot more than the one from Hinge.
You just started a business selling your original caffeinated honey concept? The first $100 you make feels a lot more rewarding than the Benjamin you found on the ground.
After two hours thrifting, you finally found the perfect piece to wear to your friend’s party? You feel a lot cooler in it than the shirt you bought off amazon prime with same day delivery.
We respect things that are hard. Both the things that we do and the things that others do. It’s why we respect artists with multiple successful full-length LPs over the artist that had one TikTok hit. The ability to successfully reinvent yourself over and over is difficult.
Don’t get caught in the trap of seeking lower effort ego spikes. The outcome isn’t what you’re hoping for.
Effort elicits care.