I believe that results are more important than the effort put in. Before you jump down my throat, I do wish that trying hard was all that mattered, but the reality of the world is that people generally will not care or pay attention to the amount of effort you put into your work.

Yes, the effort is important, but only while you are doing it. Of course you should put effort into your work so that it’s your best. The thing is, once your paper gets graded or you make an investment, that’s that. No matter what grade you get or what the outcome of the investment, the effort you put does not mean anything to anyone but you. You still lose money, and your grades are what colleges see, not your effort. In society, failure equates to not trying hard enough. What’s that famous quote again? “If at first you don’t succeed, Try, try again”? Here you can see the goal is still to SUCCEED.

And besides, the result is the GOAL that you’re striving to achieve. It’s your milestone, your endgame, your whole reason for the effort in the first place. With no focus on the result, the effort does not exist, or is half-hearted at best.

What about the people who are naturally good at something, and hardly have to lift a finger to succeed? This may sound unfair, but they still triumph and get praise. I’m not saying if that is right or wrong — it is just the truth. My grades for Chinese class have always been mediocre, and the grades and scores are all that is written down or recorded. Even though I try hard on the worksheets, I still get things wrong. And looking back at them, even all I can see is the score, not the effort.

You could argue that effort is more important because it’s what you learn that matters. It’s true that learning is important, but if you don’t use that knowledge to get the desired result in the future, what was the point of the effort? Learn, then try again and get the result, or people will not care.

People could also say that some people do look at your effort, and not just results. But this isn’t always true, and you must admit that it will be hard to think someone tried hard if they failed at something.

Now for a real-life example. Thomas Edison certainly put a lot of effort into creating a working light bulb. But so did many other people. Yet Edison is the only person people know, because he was the one who actually succeeded. Some of the other scientists might have tried harder, but failed anyway. In the end, it is only the result that becomes known and helps you.

Reality is painful, so don’t settle for a participation award, alright? Go succeed at whatever you’re good at.