Name: _________________
Date: ______________
Topic: Effort
EQs: Is effort the only habit needed for success? How does effort correlate with a growth
mindset, grit, and motivation?
Activate your prior knowledge:
What does EFFORT mean to you? ____________________________________________
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Now look up the definition and write it here. _____________________________________
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Think of a time when you demonstrated effort. What did it look like? Describe it on the lines.
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The Power of Effort (article by Strength for Life)
Everything that we want to achieve requires some effort. But how important is effort in
achieving our goals?
What you do today--the effort you put in--determines your success tomorrow. Rory
Vaden, the author of “Take the Stairs: 7 Steps for Achieving True Success,” says, “Success
is never owned; it is only rented--and the rent is due every day.”
Effort, like sunscreen in the summer, needs to be applied consistently. To achieve our
goals, we need to put in the effort each and every day. On days that we feel good and on
days when we don’t feel like doing the work. Many people will put in effort for a short
period of time and when their effort does not immediately pay off or they become
distracted by life, they stop putting in the daily effort needed to finish and succeed.
Effort is really just a habit that we need to develop if we want to be successful. Success
requires that you are willing to do whatever is necessary, when it is necessary in order to
succeed.
Effort pays off in many ways. When we put in effort, we learn. Whether the effort
produces results or not, we can learn and adapt. If our efforts lead us further away from
our goal, then we need to change our strategy. If our effort brings us closer to our goal, we
can double down with our effort.
Effort teaches us that we can do more than we thought. We learn new skills and abilities
when we take the time to put in consistent effort. Every new success that we achieve
through our efforts increases our confidence in ourselves and our abilities.
Why Effort Matters
What do both the article and the video stress as being an important factor of effort in
connection with success?____________________________________________________
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“We often focus on the outcomes of our efforts rather than on the process for achieving a
goal. That makes sense in some ways. A lot of the reason we put in effort in the first place
is to achieve our goals.
But the process by which we achieve our goals often matters more for our long-term
success. Training for an athletic event requires a lot of effort, even though you may fail
often along the way. Learning a difficult concept in school involves a lot of effort early-on
that may not be rewarded by recognition of your expertise. If you only put in effort in
situations in which you are already close to succeeding, you may not try many new things
that could ultimately expand your range of expertise.” (Psychology Today, 2001)
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Putting it all together, explain how you know if you are putting forth the effort needed in
regard to an assignment or activity? ___________________________________________
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“Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved.”
--Ralph Waldo Emerson