Glory for the Effort

They might not be famous….yet.

We recently finished our competition season and it is always hard to see the girls at championship meets cry upon completion or upon winning accolades. The tears are not tears of joy for winning, they are tears of joy for validating a long season, a year, or career. Achievement based on effort and worthy of notoriety.  I explain to my gymnasts that in the beginning that they are choosing to make investments of time, energy, and focus. They are investing sacrificed time with friends and weekends. Their parents make similar sacrifices to be there to support their daughters and when the season ends, the tears come when they realize that the investment has paid a dividend. This is glorious.

This however is true of all of us. We work hard and seldom get our efforts noticed; extra hours on the job, weekend shifts, overtime, and sometimes they don’t come with a raise or even a graciously honorary parking spot in the company lot.  Sometimes the effort goes unheralded. And that, that is life.

Not everyone can be called into the spotlight when they are worthy. Not everyone will become a household name. I think it’s important to recognize these gymnasts and other kids who might be giving herculean efforts on school projects, household chores or homework for all they do. A pat on the back can go a long way on getting the praise-worthy job repeated. Kids now-a-days are thirsty for recognition and validation. To be sure, but maybe, if we all decided to let each other know, when we notice the effort, that it has been witnessed, maybe we would have less people resenting effort and more people putting it in.