Last September, while doing the 30-day green smoothie challenge, yet again, I started thinking about effort and it’s relationship to happiness. In life I’ve repeatedly noticed that the more effort I put into something, the more reward I get back from it.

Going to the store and buying a smoothie takes little effort and thus means almost nothing to me. When I purchase a pre-made drink, I don’t experience much pleasure or fulfillment. On the other hand, making a homemade green drink requires a lot more work; I have to go to the store, buy ingredients, wash / chop produce, and blend the smoothie.

Once all these steps are complete and I’ve invested my time and energy into them, the act of making a smoothie becomes special, memorable and exponentially more enjoyable to me. It goes without saying, this type of drink is also way more nutritious! 

To test the validity of this theory further, I’ve been putting extra effort into my smoothies lately to see if it produces a deeper sense of reward. And so far, the results have been promising. This fall I’ve been making what I call a “Nature Green Smoothies.” Nature Green Smoothies are exactly what they sound like, green smoothies made in scenic locations. I made a new YouTube video to help illustrate what this practice looks like.