You get out of life what you put in.

I was asked yesterday whether I agreed with this well known saying, that you get out of life what you put in. And that got me thinking. Do I?

At the time I paused for a moment, had a think and said that ultimately yes I think I do agree.

I take this saying to be meaning that if you work hard you will reap rewards. If you care for others they will care for you. And if you’re not very nice then chances are you won’t be liked.

There are obviously some fundamental things that no matter what I put into life now I will not affect. The place and time I was born, the school I attended, the financial means of my parents to expose me to different experiences / activities, these were all pre-determined and I had little (if any) influence over them. I guess if I had worked harder at Junior school and studied more I may have passed my 11 plus and therefore gone to a Grammar School, and that would certainly have changed things. I wanted that aged 11, but not enough to study enough. And I wouldn’t change it now. I flourished in a comprehensive school (hard as it was), I needed to learn the large group social dynamics that I did there…I still don’t really have a handle on that now. Anyway I digress. My point is there were a small number of things that whatever I did I couldn’t have influenced, but largely….yes, what I put in I get out.

I’ve made decisions to do more in my job roles than was expected, I volunteer outside of my professional life working with others, I commit to fundraising events and then push my body physically a bit further than I think it can go, I say yes to opportunities to visit places or do things that scare me a little, I keep trying to drive forward. And the result? I’ve had some wonderful achievements and amazing experiences in my life. And, almost all, are because I put myself out there and did it. I put the effort in to life, and got it back out tenfold. There’s a smattering of luck and external influence in there too of course. The right people have been in my life at the right time, encouraging, nurturing and supporting me. I’ve had the financial stability to be able to be able to choose to travel and experiences. But I’m a big believer in the self. I believe I am in control of how my life plays out. So I’m going to keep putting in and enjoy what I get out.