Effort is Sexy, Here’s Why

I’m often reminded of my attraction to effort when I hear a song in which the lead singer really belts out the lyrics. Embarrassingly, it’s true beyond genre. I like Firework by Katy Perry for this reason. Sue me. I even turn up the stereo in my car when another embarrassing pop song, Youngblood by 5 Seconds Of Summer, comes on because of the unrestricted effort sounding vocals. John Fullbright, Grammy Nominee who grew up in rural Oklahoma, also captured my heart for his effortful singing.

Maybe you don’t love these songs, but chances are you do love effort. Why would we have an almost perfect human attraction to effort?

When we see (or hear) effort we connect to the human conditioning. It’s a vehicle for empathy. We all know struggle. Seeing effort advertises the vulnerability we all wish do exercise, but are often fearful of expressing. Seeing others give effort fosters connection to them for this reason.

Think about the opposite of effort. A lack of effort feels unfair, unnatural, and unrecognizable. Deep down we want to grow and explore our edges, and seeing others explore that through effort gives us a permission to do the same. Conversely, the opposite of effort seems to circumnavigate the realities of the human condition. If our subconscious could speak at the sight of non-effort it might say, “You can just avoid struggle? That seems odd.”

Show your effort. It’s the sexiest, most human thing you can do.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach