There is a fine line between effort, which is crucial
to achieve health-related or any other goal,  
and trying TOO hard, which in many cases, has the opposite effect.
In other words, to heal from disease,
effort verses “letting go” must be balanced.
As phrased in the spiritual jargon: there must be room for
“the universe to pull its tricks”.
That is grace.
 
Although it’s virtually impossible to define that fine line accurately,
Given that many people are dealing with the question of
effort verses grace in healing processes,
And because many people I see feel that they’re putting in a lot of effort
With little or no results also causing depletion and exhaustion,
I decided to write an article that will give you guidelines
To discern between situations where you may be trying too hard,
in which case you need to let go
and situations in which you may be putting in too little effort,
in which case you should try harder.  
 
Underlying Premise
Assuming that we are co-creators,
the creative process is a partnership between “us” and “The universe”.
In this partnership, each partner has a specific role.
If to draw from a popular metaphor,
In the relationship between effort and grace
Grace opens the door- we have to do the work.
Grace gets us into the right classroom, but we have to do the learning.
Admission to the class does not guarantee graduation.
The learning effort must be proportional and appropriate to the goal.
Too much or not enough effort will fail to get the desirable results.
 
Inventory on Your True Effort
Whether you’re dealing with a health-related
or any other type of challenge,
The first thing you need to do is evaluate your true effort
accurately and honestly.
Sometimes we feel as though we’re putting in a lot of effort
But when put to the test we realize that we’re actually not.
 
Sometimes, instead of putting in real effort,
We’re invested in “effort stories” which are a type of alibi
That exempt us of the real work required.
For example: people who talk about the nutritional changes they’ve made
but when examined closely one realizes that
they break the new diet more often than they adhere to it.
It’s crucial that you be honest about your efforts, so you have reliable data.
Without reliable data nothing can change.
If you discover that your effort levels are lower  than what you thought,
you’ll have to buckle up and do better to get results.
 
Trying Too Hard
Then there are those that try TOO hard.
Trying too hard is depleting and exhausting
But the real concern is that when you try too hard,
results actually move away.
It’s called the principle of counter-intent.
For example: How would you feel
if someone was over-enthusiastic about becoming your friend.
They called, texted a million times a day, really nagged…
Don’t you suppose that that would turn you off?
 
How Does One Find Balance?
First of all, it’s important to understand
that there are no fixed formulas.
Effort must be gauged to each specific goal
And in alignment with each individual’s needs and abilities.
Assuming that you’re honest about your true effort
You need to examine where you are on the graph
Between trying too hard and not trying hard enough.
Then, you must calibrate yourself to create better balance.
 
If you’re trying hard but you’re exhausted,
Or you encounter many obstacles and challenges
You definitely should stop and ask yourself if you’re in the right direction.
Sometimes the universe installs “blockages”
Which are in fact expressions of grace,  
Put there to direct you to a better route.
 
Consistency and Diligence
Often, due to our quest for immediate gratifications,
we replace consistency, indication of long-term planning
With intensity, recruiting big effort for a short period of time
With the intention of getting quicker results.
 
If you’re dissatisfied with your results
you must determine if your efforts are sprint or marathon type
And if your effort is consistent for long enough a period of time
To determine results or not.
 
In healing, moderate and slower processes are typically
much more effective than intense, high-pace change.
Intensity overloads the system and depletes
both physical and emotional energy.
Results are not only disappointing but in fact,
New symptoms can occur as a result of the overload.
 
Summary
As a rule, when we put in effort,
the universe reciprocates and does its share.
The universe provides the opportunities needed for manifestation
as long as effort is in alignment with our life journey
And that it is proportional and focused
 
Turning points of any kind happen thanks to action.
Action requires effort.
Grace meets us where we put in effort.
With that, we need to remember that we don’t carry the load alone.
We are co-creators not creators – we have a partner.
Our actions must create the conditions for grace to happen.
You can’t force grace to occur you can only allow it to occur.
 
If you fail to experience grace, I suggest you
re-evaluate the focus and intensity of your effort.
Make sure you’re in the right direction,
but also make sure you’re open enough for grace to appear
because often grace happens in the most unexpected ways.