You Will Receive Nothing from that which You Give Nothing

“No kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

Emerson’s metaphor flawlessly expresses a lesson my father has drilled into my mind from a young age.

While I shift the no longer appetizing vegetables across the dinner plate before me and my fork scratches against the glass, I hear for the millionth time the words that at this moment seem to be simply a parental tool for motivation. “Why do anything without 100 percent effort, McGee? You will receive nothing from that which you give nothing.”

Although these words from time to time had flitted through my mind, they were of little significance until I became aware of the impact they could hold on the occurrences of my everyday life, and I began to be agitated by those who did not portray these words in their actions or see the importance of putting forth effort in all that we do. When a friend once asked me, “Why would you put so much into something that will not matter after high school?” a simple response came to mind. “Why would I not?”

Why would I not give all that I could to every stroke I pursue? Because in the end how can anything matter at all if we do not give all that we have? The success in any accomplishment is maximized by the effort we apply. So by giving all we have, we receive that much more, but by giving nothing or even just half, we will receive that much less in return. By these notions, I do not begin to suggest that I have mastered this lesson of the dinner table, but I admit that I have come to be a true believer of the words.