“You Only Get Out What You Put In” — A saying that has inspired me for many years.

These were the words of a motivational speaker who presented at one of my college orientation workshops. That had a profound effect on me back then, over 25 years ago. Today, in my work life, personal life, spiritual life, and creative life, I remind myself of that when I find my motivation low.

If you put the minimum effort into your life, then that will be what you will get in return. Sometimes we find ourselves with low energy, motivation, and engagement with what we do. We would rather take the short and easy path to get to our reward. But our reward will be less than expected, and we will not have seen the positive growth and level of satisfaction had we put our best effort forward. Going all in does take the most energy, investment, and persistence. The journey is fraught with obstacles, challenges, and naysayers. “You’ll never do it” your inner critic says. “You are not good enough, you are a failure.” It is easy to let the inner critic take over your efforts toward your goal and sabotage your progress. Instead, if the inner critic says you are not good enough, counter it with “I am learning something new. I will make mistakes, but I will promise myself to learn from them.” Maximum effort = greatest reward. It may seem like it is impossible, it will take a lot of effort and dedication, but I promise you, the outcome will be worth it.

What do these words mean to you? How will you reframe your thinking and tell that inner critic to take a hike? Let me know!