There are four questions I ask myself before taking on a new project:

I often describe myself as having an ambivalent relationship with ambition. It’s what helps me achieve my goals, but also what leads to self-focus, ridigity and depletion.

Many strivers feel like they have to choose between ambitions, or give up when they aren’t the best. Either you are all in or you are all out. The practice of "wise effort" offers us another way to enter this paradox without having to resolve it.

With curiosity, flexibility and values-based action your can turn your wrecking ball of ambition into a pendulum of wise effort—gently moving with effort and effortlessness.

In Buddhism, wise effort is a step in the Eightfold Path to freedom. Wise effort is described as the purposeful dedication of your energy toward what is wholesome (i.e., helpful) and abandoning what is unwholesome (i.e., unhelpful).

In positive psychology, wise effort is rising to life’s challenges with a growth mindset, taking values-based risks, staying present and open, and savoring the good along the way. Wise effort is welcoming “good stress” that bolsters your cellular and mental resilience and practicing deep rest to prevent toxic stress and allostatic overload from wearing down your brain and body.

Wise effort is two interdependent elements:

Wise effort is about knowing where to dedicate your energy and how much to put forth. Choosing activities from your values motivates you to act with determination and enthusiasm. For example, consider the energy surge you get when helping a good friend in trouble or volunteering for a cause you love.

Applying your strengths allows you to do what comes naturally to you. For example, if you have a personal strength in social intelligence, you may find it easier to live out your values when doing things with others. If you have a strength in leadership, it may be easier to live out your values when you are at the helm.

How can you practice wise effort today? Try these actions:

“Any positive energy we put toward ourselves or others creates an atmosphere of love and compassion that ripples out and out—who knows how far?” —Pema Chodron

References

Listen to the Your Life in Process podcast to learn more about wise effort.

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What Is "Wise Effort"?

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25.03.2023

There are four questions I ask myself before taking on a new project:

I often describe myself as having an ambivalent relationship with ambition. It’s what helps me achieve my goals, but also what leads to self-focus, ridigity and depletion.

Many strivers feel like they have to choose between ambitions, or give up when they aren’t the best. Either you are all in or you are all out. The practice of "wise effort" offers us another way to enter this paradox without having to resolve it.

With curiosity, flexibility and values-based action your can turn your wrecking ball........

© Psychology Today


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