‘Human beings have an inborn tendency to avoid effort of any kind. They will do everything possible to get others—other human beings, animals or machines—to do their work for them. And the more they do this, the weaker they become and the more their faculties waste away. If you want to become strong, resourceful and capable of facing up to every occasion you must get into the habit of exerting yourself.

It is our efforts that keep us upright and alive. It is easy to acquire all kinds of possessions today without making much effort, but what will be the result of this facility? We shall have everything we desire on the outside, but inwardly we shall be hollow, empty.

We have machines that can fly but are incapable of rising mentally to a higher plane
We have built all kinds of machines in order to move over the earth or in the air; our planes, helicopters and rockets carry us into space, but we are still inwardly earthbound, incapable of loosening our bonds and rising mentally to a higher plane.

There is absolutely no reason why you should not use all the technical means available to you—or even invent others if you are capable of doing so—but you must begin by doing the inner work that will enable you to use them in order to become richer, instead of letting them continue to make you weaker and poorer. However great your power, glory or wealth, you will never get any real satisfaction from it if it has never required an effort.

The effort of heart soul and spirit – will remain with us beyond death
You will say, ‘But we already make all kinds of efforts; we never do anything else. We have to make an effort day after day in order to earn a living.’ Yes, that is true; but it is not enough. In any case, I am not talking about efforts of that kind. I am talking about the effort of heart, soul and spirit, the effort you must make to get back to your true self, to link yourself to the essential core of your own being: your higher self.

This is the one most important effort you can make, and whatever else happens, you must persevere in it every day. Even if you fail to achieve the ideal you are striving for you must never waver in this endeavour, for the efforts you impose on yourself in order to develop and grow to your full potential are the only things that will remain with you beyond death. They are the key to your future.’

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
Izvor Book 231 The Seeds of Happiness
Chapter 4. A Philosophy of Effort