Working Hard or Hardly Working

It takes hard work to get where you want. Or so it's been said. I beg to differ.

According to the Oxford dictionary, semantics is a branch of linguistics concerned with meaning, such as the study of meaning in language, the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text. It could be said that most human conflict in the world today is simply due to a misunderstanding of what we are actually saying when we communicate with each other. Words mean different things to different people. 

With this in mind, I want to talk about the idea of hard work. If you watch a few motivational or self-improvement videos on social media, it won't be long before the algorithm starts flooding your feed with similar content. Often, you hear stories of people who faced challenges or overcame obstacles. And usually, the idea that is championed by many is something like this: If you want to reach your goals, there's no shortcut. It takes hard work. 

Something about this has just never felt quite right to me. The idea of working hard feels like effort and struggle, two things that are not a prerequisite for success in my way of thinking. The universe is about ease and flow. It operates by the law of attracting, not forcing, not pushing against.

And yet, here are all these truly successful people claiming they got to where they are today by working hard. What gives? Semantics. There's no denying, they did log a mega load of hours, but I think what they really mean is how dedicated they were to reaching their goals. They were inspired, focused, and committed. And in looking back at what they needed to do to achieve their success, they say, Damn, that was hard work! But was it? I want to ask, Didn't you feel inspired? Wasn't the work fulfilling, invigorating, and even enjoyable?

I never said you won't take action. When inspiration hits, you take steps. By all means, go for it! But inspired action is not effort or struggle. 

If you're employed at a job that you do not like, this is the definition of hard work. You don't want to be there. You feel unfulfilled and unhappy. Your body tires easily and your mental-emotional stability suffers.

On the other hand, if you have a goal, a vision of something you really want to achieve, well then, this is a whole other kind of vibe. You can't get enough of it. It may require many long hours of dedicated action, yet, if you're connected to your source of inspiration, then you are living with passion.

Hard work or inspired passion? You might be saying, Hey, this is just semantics! True, but there is an important distinction. Are you happy? If it feels good, even if it’s going to take everything you've got to reach fruition, then it's not hard work. It's called bliss.

Don't think in terms of hard work anymore. Instead, find what inspires you and follow where that leads. You may end up somewhere you never expected.