This wise distinction comes Conscious Leadership’s 9th commitment of leadership regarding the importance of PLAY.
Exertion and effort both expend energy and require recovery. However, the kinds of energy expenditure and recovery each requires is significantly different because of the source of motivation and attitude between the two.
Effort often feels obligatory, consequential, and laborious. Whereas, exertion often feels necessary, freeing, and cleansing. When you recover from exertion, you do so with pleasure as you smile with fulfillment while reflecting on a “job well done.” When you recover from effort, you do so with some entitlement, which can lead to resentment. Resentment, unlike fulfillment, is much harder to recover from and is not an intrinsically renewable resource.
To choose exertion over effort is to choose play over struggle. Play does not have to lack seriousness. In fact, play can be very serious. The seriousness is what drives the commitment to practice, participate, contribute, and, at times, test yourself. This is high commitment, low attachment in action. In contrast, struggle is when attachment and pressure become the main motivators of your energy output.
Call to Action: Lead with the desire and intent to EXERT yourself. Others will feel the difference and autonomously join you by saying YES, AND…
