I made an effort.

I made an extraordinary effort.

I made an “all in”, once in a lifetime effort.

They’re all a failure. Why? Because you make an effort, even an extraordinary one, and not attain your goal. I can cheat myself out of achieving a goal I desire by making an effort. We make efforts all the time, and many of us are good at making them. But it isn’t the goal.

The goal is the goal, atmo.