You probably have heard it before:
“If you want to succeed, you need to work more and harder.”
“Do the hard work, especially when you don’t feel like it”
“No pain, no gain”
I do believe hard work and dedication can change people’s lives.
It says to yourself that you are the sort of person who can take any challenge that life brings you, which is extremely valuable.
But that’s only one side of the picture.
You can be an extremely hard worker, and feel miserable and have a miserable life.
You can find yourself running on a hamster wheel looking for more money, more status, more stuff, and never take any moment to enjoy what you have now and the present moment.
I don’t want that for you.
So here are the 3 simple steps to balance hard work with making sure we are fulfilled and enjoying the journey along the way:
1. Reflect on your goals
Maybe you are an extremely disciplined and hard worker.
But if you are working to get to a place you don’t even want to get to, is it really worth it?
If what you truly want is to be a painter, and you are working hard as an accountant. Are you really being productive and intentional with your time?
Being effective at doing stuff that will lead you to a place you don’t want to be is not useful at all.
To overcome this:
Reflect regularly on where you are going.
What your goals are, what is the path to get there, and how is it different than the path you are on now?
Remember:
If you want to achieve the extraordinary , you need to do things outside of the ordinary .
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
2. Working smart > working hard
The truth is:
More important than the hours you put into your work, is how and on what you are using those hours and the amount of leverage those hours bring to you.
Yes. It’s no mystery that the amount of hours you work will influence the amount of results you have (until a certain point because if you work too much and don’t rest properly, your output actually starts decreasing)
But more important than that is your .
That means the amount of output that you get for the same amount of work. (output = volume x leverage)
For example:
John works a 9 to 5 as a designer for a local business and earns 4k$ per month.
Andrew owns a design agency with 5 employees and earns 50k$ per month and works 5 hours per day.
John works a 9 to 5 as a designer for a local business and earns 4k$ per month.
Andrew owns a design agency with 5 employees and earns 50k$ per month and works 5 hours per day.
Andrew is actually working fewer hours than Jhon.
But the amount of leverage Andrew has is much larger than Jhon, so the output per time is much bigger .
And leverage is not only human labor as in this case, but anything that allows you to get more from the hours that you put in.
This is the secret of the ultra-successful people. They focus on building big leverages not working harder or more hours.
The Greek philosopher, Archimedes, once said:
“Give me a place to stand, and a lever long enough, and I will move the world”
3. Enjoy the journey
There’s really no point in working hard if we are not enjoying the journey along the way.
We say things like:
“Once I graduate university, then things will be different…”
“Once I hit 100k$ per month, then I will be able to enjoy life…”
“Once I go to this country, then I will be happy…”
etc
We create barriers and conditions to our happiness and joy in the present moment.
There’s a lot to be gained from changing our respective to enjoying the journey and not conditioning ourselves behind achievements and arbitrary milestones.
However, some tasks feel hard and maybe you don’t want to do them in the present. And in those times having the discipline and the ability to prioritize long-term meaningful goals instead of short-term pleasures is really important.
The takeaway is:
We can pursue meaningful goals, strive for a better life, become a better person, and at the same time enjoy the journey along the way .
Because that’s ultimately the only thing that matters.
Bringing it home
Reflect regularly on where you are going: Being effective at doing stuff that will lead you to a place you don’t want to be is not useful at all.
Working smart > working hard: More important than hours of work is your leverage, the amount of output that you get for the same amount of work. (output = volume x leverage)
Enjoy the journey: Pursue meaningful goals and at the same time remember to enjoy the journey along the way.
I hope you got something valuable in this edition of Curiosity Fuel, and thank you for reading, it means the world.
It’s always an honor to be in your inbox, until next Sunday. 👋
— Idris Moura
