I’m grateful I have the choice to work smart over hard. When we start becoming aware how thinking certain thoughts and believing specific concepts affect us personally. We become aware of how we become aware of the necessity to re-frame what doesn’t work. We will not always know why certain figures of speech tap into our energy of fear, lack, and separation or love, abundance, and peace. Sometimes, the same word, phrase or concept can tap into one person’s energy of love, abundance, and peace and trigger another person’s energy of fear, lack, and separation. One of those for me is “You have to work hard.” I know this term can feel inspirational to some, but for me it feels restrictive and taps into all the things that I have to sacrifice for success. I’ve realized how important it is to become aware of what MY triggers are and realize that just because it’s MY trigger it doesn’t mean it will affect a person the same way as it does me.

I’m not saying I never say, “I worked hard” or used the the word to describe something. I just know when I think of working for my success, I prefer thinking of it as working smart. I love the feeling of working smart. I love the energy that runs through me as I plan smart. Working smart allows me creative space to use my time consciously without focusing my energy on sacrifices, and the energy of lack. For me, working smart aligns me with the energy of love, abundance, and peace. Working hard aligns me the energy of fear of not being successful; lack of not being or having enough; and separation with myself and others because of the sacrifices of invested time. This is because in my mind, there is never enough time when I’m working hard. I keep having to invest more and more. Then I start neglecting self-care, quality time with loved ones, sleep, eating, etc. When I work smart, I feel like I’m able to spread my energy in the healthiest ways. So for me, I’m so incredibly grateful I have the choice to work smart over hard.

Today, I’m committing to working smart. I realized I have been making choices that were making me work harder, not smarter. When I do this, I don’t just think different thoughts, I feel different and I act differently. Today, I’m breaking out my yellow notepad and doing a brainstorming session. First, I want to look at the ways that I’ve been working hard not smart. Then, I want to look at options (this is building on yesterday’s commitment) to work smarter so that it will make aligning with the energy of love, abundance, and peace throughout the day easier. Working smart helps me keep present while I’m doing whatever I’m doing in the moment. I feel like when I am working hard, I’m never where my feet are. I’m in the hustle to something else.

1. Being conscious of my first thoughts entering the day (Awareness)

• How am I choosing to start my morning in my mind?
• What are my options to align my energy with love, abundance, and peace in this moment?
• What tools can I use to work smart today? (i.e to-do lists, a schedule, phone reminders, setting social media limits, consider what I watch carefully, etc.)

2. Embrace wherever I am with LOVE (Acceptance)

• Do I need a little self-love to move me through thoughts and feeling that are keeping me in the energy of fear, lack, and separation?
• Am I feeling aligned with love, abundance, and peace in this moment? How can I expand that energy?
• What do I need to nurture myself body, mind, and soul in this moment?
• Keep checking in with myself throughout the day

3. Take steps aligned with the energy of love, abundance, and peace (Action)

• What are my goals, to-dos, and commitments for the day?
• How do I accomplish what I need to get done in the healthiest manner (to-do lists, schedule, reminders, etc)?
• When are the best times to eat, drink water, exercise, and do whatever self-care/spiritual care that will keep me in my healthiest state throughout the day?
• Who will I spend quality time with today via in person, the phone, or video?
• What attention-pulling distractions do I need to manage and how will I stay focused? (i.e. emails, phone calls, apps, videos, TV, social media, etc.)
• STAY PRESENT IN MY ACTIVITIES!

Here’s a video that I’ve posted before, but it gives a little more insight to helping determine how you react to working smart vs. working hard. The exercise starts at 10:22 in the video if you don’t have time to watch the whole video.

With Love, Abundance, and Peace,

©Rachael Wolff 2021

Author of Letters from a Better Me: How Becoming an Empowered Woman Transforms the World (click title for more information, available formats, and purchasing options)