Consistency and effort... as simple as that.

Yes.  Life is as simple as that.  So are relationships - platonic, romantic or otherwise.

When we are younger, a little bit of effort or even small gestures can keep us happy for a long time.  In fact, some of us end up with friends or lovers based on one or two strategically-placed gestures that subsequently taper off and amount to zero effort.  However, as we get older, it becomes apparent that effort has to be applied consistently: to one's life, one's friendships, one's relationships, one's business dealings, one's education - to virtually anything worth attaining and keeping.  At the end of the day, the most important pieces of your life won't be easy to get to and will be equally as difficult to keep - especially if you decide that the effort can dissipate once you've gotten it.

So yes. Keep being consistent.  Keep putting in some effort.

Keep giving it what you got.  Every day.

Show your loved ones that you love and care for them.  Every day.

Be there for your friend in that time of need or in that time of celebration.  Every day.

Push towards your business dreams or scaling up that visionary project you have on that table.  Every day.

Keep striving towards that degree or diploma or certificate.  Every day.

Trust me - the rewards are worth it, and if you felt that it was worth attaining in the first place, keeping it is just as worthy of your time and energy.  Delayed, sustained gratification requires consistent effort - take it from the Book of Lessons Learned.

This was originally posted on 21 March, 2017.