#PerspectiveChallenge: You Have to Work Hard to Succeed

PERSPECTIVE: YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD TO SUCCEED

This is a very common perspective—naturally. I’ve heard it all growing up and I continue to hear it. I’ve heard it as a compliment on countless occasion. I’ve heard community leaders, inspirers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and business leaders preach these words. Some people have a positive reaction to these words and the belief has been the foundation of their hustle to succeed.

I’ve also seen the dark side of this belief when people work so hard that they forget to live. I’ve seen families get neglected due to the countless hours their family member is gone. I’ve seen people get diseases because of the amount of stress they put themselves under from working so hard.

I just want to introduce a small shift in this perspective that can make a BIG difference in where your energy goes. This is not new. I didn’t come up with this. It’s just not as popular as the “WORK HARD” motto.

WORK SMART

Working smart means that we are conscious of our choices. We are conscious of our efforts. We are conscious of our sacrifices. We make choices accordingly. Working smart can eliminate some of the undue stress and pressure from the situation. I can’t even begin to tell you the difference it’s made in my life. Working smart helps me to enjoy the journey and the process so much more than the thought of working hard ever did. It doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate when people compliment me on my “hard work”. It just means I’m conscious that the work didn’t feel HARD to me, but I do understand what they are saying so I’m grateful for the compliment. Working smart can help us to use our time more efficiently. Working smart can empower us to make important choices in delegating. Along with making choices to add in time for self-care and personal development to make sure our energy is aligned with what we are trying to accomplish with our work.

TODAY’S PERSPECTIVE CHALLENGE

Get a blank piece of paper and create two columns. At the top of one column write “Work Hard” on the other write, “Work Smart”. Make lists under each one to see how your mind differentiates the two of them. Then check-in with your body to see how your body feels responding to your lists. You might just be AMAZED in what you find just by focusing on a slight change in words.

With Love and Gratitude,