You’re reading this because you want to get better. You’re willing to work hard, but you want to know if your hard will pay off.
It will.
But the next level of this is creating a virtuous loop, not a vicious cycle.
Vicious cycles are putting on 20 lbs, working hard and losing 20 lbs, then getting lazy and putting the weight back on.
Virtuous loops are creating a goal, working hard to achieve it, then maintaining and redirecting your hard work towards a new goal.
I want you to create virtuous loops in your life.
Hard work pays off and I want it to pay off for you.
Think about it like this; if it didn’t, no one would do it. Because it’s hard.
Have you noticed the progression we’ve been going through? Social media helped usher in a “hustle culture” which celebrated working 24/7, 365. Then, the pendulum began to swing back and the dangers of “hustle porn” were touted. Then, we started to focus on self-care as an essential practice; and rightly so.
Here’s the thing- It’s all true.
You can’t have one without the others.
If you actually worked 16 hours a day for 365 days, you’d most certainly burn out.
If you shunned hustling and that work ethic, you wouldn’t achieve great heights.
If all you did was care for yourself, you wouldn’t reach your potential.
If you desire great things, like creating a successful business, or climbing the ranks of a Fortune 500 company, or being a wonderful parent, all three of those things are needed.
Embracing hustle, lack of hustle, and self-care is what will help you do hard work. And doing hard work is what will get you where you want to go.
When done correctly, hard work can be highly enjoyable, rewarding and gratifying. That’s how I want you to view it.
Here’s what we’ll cover in service of that:
- What are your thoughts and feelings about hard work?
- How would you like to feel about and put it to work?
- What changes will you need to make?
- What would happen if you made those changes?
- What will you do?
What are your thoughts and feelings about hard work?
Seem like a silly question? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.
If you think hard work is a good thing, it isn’t.
If you think hard is is a bad thing, that’s a problem.
We have core beliefs about most everything in life, and many of them we’re created a long time ago.
Some of them were given to us at birth, many were installed when we were very little, and some have been downloaded along the way.
When you start thinking about yours, you’ll begin to recognize what your current version is. If you’re happy with them, excellent. If you’re not, I’ve got good news- you can change them. It won’t be easy, but you can do it.
Beliefs About Hard Work
Here is a list of prompts about hard work. As you read through them, write down the first thing that comes to mind; don’t overthink it.
- People who work hard are
- Hard work makes people
- I’d work harder if
- My parents thought hard work would
- In my family, hard work
- Hard work equals
- If I worked hard, I’d
- Hard work is
- Hard work causes
- Hard work is not
- In order to work hard consistently, I’d need to
- When I work hard, I usually
- I think hard work
- People think hard work
Now that you’ve written your initial thoughts on each of these, go back through and think more deeply about the ones that we’re the most triggering.
If you find you have negativity towards hard work, it’s important to dig into your past to figure out where that negativity is coming from.
Until you confront any negative beliefs around hard work, you won’t commit to doing it consistently.
The more you can dig into your past and examine it, the better the chances of changing your beliefs from negative to positive.
To help you in this process, you can access our Values Course at no-cost.
How would you like to feel about and put it to work?
How would you like to feel about hard work?
I’ve found word association helps me to get clear on how I truly want to feel.
For example, when I hear Good Parent, I feel present, I feel fully engaged, I feel locked-in and focused, I feel satisfaction. I have really good and strong feelings around being a good parent. This is a clear priority for me.
Let’s go through some hard work word association. For each, write down your initial feelings.
- Hard worker
- Driven
- Consistent
- Focused
- Unstoppable
- Force of nature
- Champion
- Dominant
- Excellent
- Undeterred
- Gritty
- Determined
- Winner
- Great
The idea is to figure out how you want to feel. Once you’ve gone through each one, go back through them again and dig deeper. You can certainly add more as well.
To help you in this process, you can access our Goals Course at no-cost, where you’ll go deeper into this process.
Putting hard work to work for you
As humans, our ability to create the future we desire is a superpower.
When you take the time to reflect on what you want your future to look like, when you create a plan of action, and then execute that plan through hard work, most any reality can be yours.
It’s time to create the future you desire.
For each prompt, write down what you want and how working hard can help you accomplish them:
- Your career
- Your finances
- Your family
- Your community
- Your physical body
- Your mental health
- Your emotional health
- Your spiritual life
- Your intellectual life
- Your hobbies, interests and passions
Be honest with yourself. Don’t judge yourself. What you want is what you want, and it’s great (whatever it is). These are your goals, this is your life, and you’ve got one shot at it.
Plan for the life you want to live.
Again, you can access our Goals Course at no-cost, where you’ll go deeper into this process.
What changes will you need to make?
You’ve examined your existing beliefs. You’ve decided how you want to feel. You’ve thought about how you’ll apply hard work. Now it’s time to figure out what’s required to bring your goals to life.
- Your career- What changes are required?
- Your finances- What changes are required?
- Your family- What changes are required?
- Your community- What changes are required?
- Your physical body- What changes are required?
- Your mental health- What changes are required?
- Your emotional health- What changes are required?
- Your spiritual life- What changes are required?
- Your intellectual life- What changes are required?
- Your hobbies, interests and passions- What changes are required?
Do you know how to do the things it will take?
Do you possess the knowledge to make your desired reality your actual reality?
If not, where will you get the new learnings and knowledge you need?
Once you acquire the knowledge you need, are you willing to do what it takes?
Yes or no?
What would happen if you made those changes?
Anytime we start acting differently, we’re going to get a response.
If you started smoking, loved ones would express concern. If you started going to the gym everyday, you’d probably get a reaction as well.
It’s natural to assume that everyone in your life will be excited for you and your new habits. But will they be?
Think about the changes you’re planning to make and who will be impacted by them.
Think about how those people will react.
What will you do?
Just as we experience a personal transitionary period when making changes, how will you respond to the feedback you get from others?
Obviously, the positive feedback will be easy to handle.
How will you handle negativity? I want you to decide in advance how you’ll deal with it.
Perhaps respond like this:
“Thanks for your feedback, I value our relationship and your perspective. I spent a good amount of time on my decision to pursue (my own business/a healthy lifestyle/career advancement), and I’m committed to doing it. I hope you’ll be supportive of me as I work hard to make it happen.”
Ultimately, if people who are initially negative towards you don’t come around and embrace your new behaviors, you may be better off without them.
Conclusion
Hard work pays off.
If you work hard, you will get better.
Here’s a harsh reality: No one cares.
Your hard work may go unrecognized. It may go unrecognized for years.
For too many of us, this reality stops us from starting, or it stops us from continuing.
Here’s a mantra I urge you to embrace: No one cares, work harder.
No one cares about your success more than you do.
No one is more invested in your success than you are (with the exception of your loved ones).
You have choice.
You can choose to tap into your superpower and to create the future you desire.
Will you accept personal responsibility?
What’s your first step?
Success is available to you, get started.
Work hard!
Resources mentioned
We’ve got three free courses as well: Our Goals Course, Values Course, and our Get Out of Debt course.
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