Repetition isn’t the answer when you aren’t getting where you want to go. But sometimes progress is the opportunity to sing again.
Hard work isn’t the answer:
#1. Hard work isn’t the answer when you neglect the right questions.
Discouragement sets in when work is only a means to an end.
You won’t always achieve the ends you desire, but you can always do the work.
- Why work? Work is its own reward.
- What is success? Success is the opportunity to engage in useful labor.
- What matters? Working to get things for yourself is normal. Working to bring value to others is greatness.
- What painful problem are you solving? The solution you’re working to create begins with a painful problem. Maybe the problem is food on the table. If you have enough food, it’s something more.
- What is progress? Define progress before discouragement sets in.
#2. Hard work isn’t the answer when you already work long hours.
Don’t be like the lost hiker who picks up the pace only to arrive at the same spot.
Climb a tree.
- What makes you think you’re heading in the right direction?
- What are you doing that holds you back?
- How much rest makes you great at work?
- How have you made the best contributions in the past? How might you do more of that?
#3. Hard work isn’t the answer when you regularly shoot yourself in the foot.
- Lack of integrity weakens the value of your work.
- Poor people skills dilute the power of hard work.
- Broken relationships undermine progress.
- Starting too many things and finishing too few devalues results.
The great battles are within.
- Vulnerability is the opportunity for meaningful work. A closed fist prevents you from bringing value.
- Slowing down when you feel unappreciated.
- Needing results to validate the intrinsic value of work.
How has the effort illusion held you back?
What makes hard work effective?