The idea of effort not only finds an essential place in all authentic spiritual traditions, but also is most deeply implicated in our identity, our sense of self. For that reason it is not only an indispensable way into a new, liberated feeling of self but also the chief obstacle to it. The Sickness of Effort will explore this difficult question by examining how the notion of effort changes in different traditions across diverse cultures. In so doing, it will reveal an altogether new notion of effort and, with that, a new and liberated feeling of identity.