The process of putting in effort will always become a source of strength.
"Effort will always be rewarded."
I have heard this phrase many times before.
But I think about this phrase in a slightly different way.
Effort is not necessarily rewarded with results.
No matter how much effort you put in, you might still get injured.
You might not be able to play in a game.
You might not win.
There is no such thing as "absolute" in the world of sports.
That is why I do not believe that "if you put in the effort, you will definitely succeed."
But there is one thing I have always believed in, without change.
The process of putting in effort will always become a source of strength.
The national tournament qualifiers in my third year of high school.
I suffered a major injury in the game before the final, where I was seeking revenge.
"I worked so hard, why did it have to be at this moment?"
I still remember thinking that.
That was the only time I felt that "maybe effort isn't rewarded."
But now that time has passed, I understand.
I have never once thought that the effort I put in back then was a waste.
The time spent putting in that effort helped me grow.
It is because of that experience that I have my current way of thinking.
That is why I do not want to judge effort by looking only at the results.
So, what is effort to me?
It is,
to earnestly strive for what you have decided to do.
Once you decide to do something, you face it with all your might during that time.
There are days when you don't feel motivated.
There are days when your condition is poor.
Even so, you do the best you can on that day.
I believe that accumulating those moments is what effort is.
And that accumulation is also a time of continuing to face yourself.
Therefore, effort might not be about competing with others, but about continuing to face yourself.
That is precisely why I believe effort is more important than talent.
Of course, there is innate talent.
But the truly amazing athletes around me are not people who got this far on talent alone.
They prepare more than anyone else.
They think more than anyone else.
They face themselves more strictly than anyone else.
Because I see that, I feel that accumulating effort is what true strength is.
Every time I get injured,
"The things I have built up have stopped."
Every time I fail,
"I don't know what to do, so I'll just quit."
There are times when I feel that way.
But the effort you have accumulated up to that point never disappears.
Even if your body doesn't move the way you want it to, the experience and the way of thinking you gained from your efforts remain within you.
So, you just need to start a new accumulation.
Just because what you are doing changes, it doesn't mean your effort is interrupted.
I have come to be able to think that way.
If there is someone out there right now who is suffering because they are putting in effort but not seeing results, I want to tell them this.
I want you to keep going without giving up.
I want you to keep thinking about the effort you can make until you see results.
People who are earnestly continuing their efforts will change little by little, both in themselves and in how they are seen by those around them.
Effort is never something you do just for the results.
To win a game.
To beat a rival.
To grow.
To repay those who support you.
And to not lose to yourself.
All of those are the reasons why I continue to put in effort.
It's okay to have many different reasons.
I just don't want you to be too obsessed with the results.
If you have done your best in the process, I want you to praise yourself, even if just a little, first.
That is why Ido not believe that effort is necessarily rewarded with results.
But I believe thatthe process of putting in earnest effort will always become a source of strength.Things you worried about in earnest.
Things you challenged yourself with in earnest.
Things you failed at in earnest.
All of that will support your future self.
That is why I want to face the day in front of me in earnest today as well.
So that my future self can proudly say, "I'm glad I did my best back then."