Effort or Achievement

There is a debate on whether effort or achievement should be valued more in many different areas of life such as school, athletics, jobs, family, etc. Each side of the arguement has support. Many will say that all that matters is performance, no matter how the individual goes about performing. Others believe that personal effort is what counts and the performance is beyond a person's control. Does it not seem that society puts an unhealthy emphasis on achievement?
I believe individuals should be held accountable to putting forth their best effort rather than focusing on achievement. If a best effort is put forth, performance usually follows assuming the individual is a capable human being. If a student in school can prove an understanding of the material in a way other than performing well on a one hour test, I believe the effort and understanding should be rewarded. The player with the most skill in the world still needs to be held acountable to show up to practice or else risk losing his spot on the team just as anyone else would. In the work place, a mistake could be more costly than in an academic setting, but a complete effort from the person that was hired should be enough to avoid a mistake. If otherwise, the person most likely would have not been hired. Lastly, with family life, as long as a parent puts forth the effort to live by certain morals and uphold them, the parenting performance will shine through.
Effort is much more pure than plain achievement. There is no back door when it comes to effort. On the other hand, some people will do anything just to achieve, which leads to immorality. American society needs to change its over-emphasis on achievement alone. With effort, comes achievement.

Glady-ator

A 90-year-old woman named Gladys Burrill has decided to train for her fifth Honolulu Marathon. Her goal is to set the record for women between 90 and 94 years of age. I have extreme admiration for someone with this type of motivation. Gladys saw the marathon fireworks go off one day and decided that it would be her new endeavor to participate in marathons. It is always inspirational when someone has a new goal and goes after it with a strong effort.
I have always thought about potential hobbies, especially when it comes to what I will do when I am elderly. I have tried musical hobbies such as piano and chorus, but I never became passionate. Sports, working out, running, etc. definately consume a good percentage of my time, but it is always good to think about new hobbies. Maybe one day I will see the "fireworks" that lead me to starting a new passion as Gladys did. On the website http://www.kitv.com/cnn-news/18048676/detail.html Gladys tells a reporter her motto: "It's important to be athletic -- excercise and doing something, walking is the best. Your attitude -- think positive and sometimes it might seem hard to think positive, but you just do it." If people could have this motto in mind, they would definately find their passions whether the passion is athletically related or not. We all need a little Glady-ator in us!