“You get out what you put in.”

It’s a straightforward sentiment, and one that is applicable to nearly any endeavor. This concept was brought up during CrossFit as a way to explain the benefits of pushing yourself. Coach Andrew said:

This is going to be a tough workout today, and you have options. You can give it your all and use proper form on every jumping jack and and sit up, or you can go on autopilot. It’s your choice, but, at the end of the day, will you want to look back and feel like there was something you could’ve worked harder at? Will you want to feel like you’re not allowing yourself to get as good as you can possibly be?

At close that day, the idea of getting out what you put into something was raised again. The guides asked the learners what that meant to them. One learner responded, “It means the benefits at the end are equal to how much effort you put in.” A lot of heads nodded in agreement.

The discussion then shifted to talking about times at Acton that the learners have seen this principle at work. One learner responded that Khan math requires a lot of time to understand the concepts, but that the more time put in, the easier it is to build on the material and make progress faster. Another said that writer’s workshop and the writing process is an example of getting out what you put in: “If you don’t follow all of the steps properly in brainstorming, drafting and editing, your work won’t be as good as it could be.”

At Acton, learners regularly face challenges that require time, effort, and focus. There might be areas of core skills they prefer over others, and there might be particular writing genres they find easier to devote energy to. They might dislike certain games and be excited to play others for hours on end. The key is understanding that they have the capacity to put their full effort into anything they choose.