… is a goal worthy of pursuing and requires all that we are capable of doing at a moment in time. For me, of all the possibilities, knowing that my efforts are effective is a goal. But what if you aren’t effective? What do you do with this reality? How do you handle a situation that despite your best efforts, you have been totally ineffective? I don’t think any of us wants to see our efforts fail, especially when we put time, energy, etc. into making (whatever) a success. Success, accomplishment is how we define effective.
However, the standard against which we judge whether or not we were effective is a very personal definition. One of my questions is… do you know how you define effective? And, does it change depending on your level of commitment? Or, the quality of that which you are focusing your efforts? I would suggest that nothing is really in cement which only causes misunderstandings – for others watching us and for ourselves.
Results may or may not be the basis for your definition. Example: an experiment to test out a hypothesis can be a ‘failure’ but it is the failure that causes the elimination of an alternative, thus a success. Again, an issue of your perspective, your definitions, and what you do with the results. Supposedly ‘ineffective’ results can beat you down and defeat you, if you let them. Or you can view them as a stepping stone.
The goal of being effective is laudatory, however the path may not be a straight line and may take longer than you initially thought. You have many benchmarks on your path and it becomes a decision you make as to whether you will pursue or not. When, and on what basis, do you decide that attaining (whatever is the goal) is not possible? You need to know this as much as you need to know when you are effective.
