Play Harder!

We have all heard the same litany at some point or the other from parents, teachers, and mentors – work hard. The implication is that if you work hard you will be successful; it also implies that the concept of hard work is definitive and success is quantifiable. Is that really true?

To my mind, work can be labour intensive, purely cerebral or combinations of both. A Banker is equally as hardworking as a Baker, or do Bakers work harder than Bankers? hard work is relative, is it not? so how do you know when you are working hard enough? What if you’ve always worked hard but somehow you are not as ‘successful’ as some who seem to be putting in less effort?

How you approach a task determines how difficult it will be

One of the things that I have learned over time is that two people can undertake the same task and expend the same amount of effort but have completely different views of how difficult the task was. This can be attributed to a variety of reasons; maybe one is more experienced than the other, maybe one is younger than the other, maybe one quickly gets the job done while the other procrastinate. While all of these reasons may be valid, the more important reason in my mind is ATTITUDE.

The attitude with which you approach a task determines how difficult it will be for you. If you think to yourself; OMG! this shit is difficult! and you approach the task with that mindset, it will be difficult. If on the other hand, you think; this is a great challenge for me! when I get it done I’ll be super proud of myself! When you complete the task you will be so psyched that you may want to challenge yourself again! My point is, not everyone who seems to be putting in the least effort is actually doing that! they may just have a good attitude, so don’t measure your effort against anyone else’s.

Does hard work guarantee success?

Let’s assume you put in the hard work, now what? will success follow? Well, first I think you need to decide exactly what success looks like for YOU. Is it the proverbial white picket fence complete with wife/husband, two children, and a dog? Is it the prestigious career? is it financial freedom? is it the jet setter lifestyle? Obviously, success is different for everyone – some want one of the above while some may want a combination of a few or maybe all!

The important thing is to determine what YOUR success looks like; maybe your success is having extra money in the bank or being gainfully employed. Don’t try to measure your success against someone else’s. Develop and focus on your own personal goals and do one thing every day that will take you a step closer to accomplishing those goals. Each time you accomplish a goal, you have achieved a measure of success. Keep doing this and before long you will look up and realize that you’re way ahead of the game!

Work hard play harder!

What do you do with success? The one thing we are rarely told is to play! but I’m sure you heard the old adage – too much work makes Jack a dull boy. My personal belief is that you should always celebrate your hard work and successes with equally hard play! Reward yourself, dance, make love; take a vacation – whatever gives you joy! these are the things that refresh your soul. After all, what is the point of all the hard work if you don’t partake in the reward?

Now imagine for a moment that your job is challenging and you’re psyched and excited. You’re constantly ending your day on a high note and eagerly looking forward to the next day when you will again successfully counter every challenge the day brings. That is the measure of success some folks have been able to achieve! How did they do that? well they found out how to monetize something that they find challenging and exciting, something they love doing. I recently discovered that a lot of people are in the enviable position of being able to do that but they do not know exactly how to do it.

Maybe you are one of those people!

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Remember:

Don’t measure your efforts with anyone else’s, some people have the knack of making everything appear more difficult than it really is!

Don’t compare your success with anyone else’s; your success is specific to your goals and expectations of yourself.

Lastly, remember to celebrate your achievements; play as hard as you work! in fact, play harder!