We all have grown up being told that hard work is a virtue and that it will help us achieve our goals.
Unfortunately, that is only half the story and without seeing, explaining and teaching the meaning of hard work in its right form, it does more damage than good.
You see this sort of conditioning makes our children believe that plain good old hard work will help them achieve whatever they want.
When the true power of hard work is when it doesn’t feel hard and it isn’t work.
And that is why choosing what you want as a goal is very important.
When the goal is something that you want, something that lights you up in your core, something that aligns to who you really are, your strengths and passions then making an effort towards that goal doesn’t feel like hard work.
I remember in my own career, I was just 18yrs old when I was working six days a week flying as an air hostess for an airline and that job was so aligned with who I am that even though it was physically exhausting to my body, each day at work, left me feeling fulfilled, joyous and on purpose.
In contrast, I have had managerial roles where I have worked hard and felt unfulfilled, low in energy and depleted by the end of my day.
As I watch my kids grow, I encourage them to understand the correlation between effort and result but in the context of what they organically feel enthusiastic about.
As a deliberate creator, you must know that there is aligned action or misaligned action.
In other words, if you don’t feel good while working hard towards your goal, you should either figure out how to get aligned or choose a different goal.
( Aligned is when you feel good doing it)
You see unhappy journeys don’t have happy outcomes. And happy journeys with a clear vision will always have a happy outcome.
So next time you catch yourself working hard or are being told to work hard, check if that work is in line with your values and your purpose and if that hard work leaves you feeling depleted or energised.
Most people have had some results after working hard and so won’t believe me when I say, that when you put in the effort towards what is your passion and joy, it doesn’t feel like work or hard.
The traditional way of working hard is not sustainable or good for you or your mental state, in the long run no matter what the result.
The cost of slogging away at something that you are supposed to do, or society expects you to do or perhaps your parents expected out of you can leave you living a life with no meaning.
I hope this message inspires you to reflect where you are putting in that hard work and the why behind that effort. Make your effort and hard work count and fulfill you in ways that you might have not experienced lately.
You can reach me at nikky@happydayscoaching.com