There isn’t a problem hard work can’t fix. It’s the great equalizer in life.
Regardless of your gender, race, wealth, status, or education, hard work accelerates you from where you are to where you want to be. It catapults you past your competitors. Past your peers. Around your problems.
Nothing is more effective than getting things done.
To create progress, you have to build momentum. To build momentum you must put in the work. There’s no avoiding hard work if you want to be successful.
Successful people put in the time.
Sure, they try to work smart. But that’s not their main focus. Their primary focus is putting in the time. Investing in the grind. Doing whatever it takes.
What’s interesting is that business studies show that the most fulfilled workers are the ones who put in the most time. Quite seriously, those who work more than 80 hours a week label themselves as the happiest. Coincidentally, it’s those who work slightly more than average, between 45 to 55 hours per week, that complain about work-life balance.
You don’t put in the effort to show off.
You don’t grind because it makes you look good. You put in the time because you’re driven by a mission.
You do the time because you believe you’re doing your life’s work.
You are convinced that you have a divine purpose for your life. You aren’t going through the motions.
You’re not showing up just to get that raise or to impress your boss. You’re filled with an insatiable appetite for achievement.
You can’t stop yourself from working. It’s all you want to do. You can’t stop yourself from getting things done.
All you think about is the magic of momentum.
So if you’re feeling stuck, if you’re not sure why you don’t ever seem to get to where you want to be. If your work leaves you unfulfilled. If you hate what you do and who you’ve become. If you complain about work-life balance. Maybe it’s time to revisit your preconceived notions about hard work.
Maybe, just maybe, you need to fill in the gaps of your unhappiness with unabashed activity.
By the way, the awesome dudes at HubSpot overheard me ranting about this idea of hard work and happiness and invited me to record a video series about work and life balance. In turn, I invited my friend Bill Cortright to join me.
In our four-part series, which is absolutely free for you to watch, we discuss what it is to embrace hard work and enjoy life to the fullest. Take a look. Might surprise you.
