I'm going to get a lot of hate for this one.
Today – I’m going after a sacred cow. I’m going to be called a snowflake. Y’all are going to think I’m just living off the government and I’m a big bad socialist or something. Maybe I should move to Venezuela or whatever.
Today, we tackle the lie of “hard work.” Yikes.
Ask 100 people if they are hard workers and odds are 95% or more of them will say yes. Ask the same 100 people if other people are hard workers and odds are 95% of them will say no.
Ruh-roh. Something already doesn't add up.
Read Linked In, resumes, cover letters and even obituaries…there’s always something about being a “hard worker.”
You see, we believe the lie that hard work = success. And it is indeed a lie. Let’s look at the math.
Most people define success as having money.
There are roughly 7.8 billion people on earth. And 95% of them probably believe they are ‘hard workers.’
There are (checks notes) 3,311 billionaires on the planet. Now, I’m not good at math but that’s something like a really small percentage. With a lot of zeros after the decimal point.
Well, maybe millionaire is the measure. Checks notes – 47 million millionaires, that’s a bit better. But still equals .06% of the population.
But I thought hard work = success, success = money and most people think they are “hard workers?” Yet only .06% of the world is a millionaire? Or is it that only .06% of the world is actually working hard?
And yet every single one of you reading this thinks you’re a part of that .06% of hard workers. The math doesn’t add up. So let’s debunk the “why” behind hard work.
Hard work for the sake of hard work is masochism; it’s just a test of how high your pain threshold is. It’s nothing to glorify nor boast about.
Hard work needs to produce an outcome…and that outcome clearly cannot be “money” as demonstrated by only .06% of the world accomplishing that. And 95% of you saying you are hard-workers.
So, what should the outcome, or the “why” behind hard work be? Making hard work easier. That’s right. I’m a snowflake living off the government! Just bought a new Lambo off that government chedda.
Give me a break.
Look, if the work you are doing today is ‘hard’ and a year from now it remains ‘hard’ you have wasted a year. Most innovation in the world today stems from taking something that was once hard and making it easier. Thus, the output or the “why” behind hard work should be to create easier work.
Hard work is a tool, not a state of being. Many of you who read my blog, know I’m ‘anti-hustle culture.’ And the key word there is ‘culture.’ I’m not at all against ‘hustling’ provided that hustle is a tool; a tool used to take hard work and make it easier. Using ‘hustle’ to find processes and workflows…automations and knowledge to take that hard work and simplify it. Reducing the effort required to produce the same or better results is the end goal of 'productivity.' Yet, so many of us fight against that; so many of us hold onto the idea that our "value" is in how many hours we dedicate to work. Or how "hard" we work.
How many people still use a push-reel mower? No one I know. They all have fancy rider mowers. And you know what those do? They make hard work easier!
How many of you ride a horse to work? Fell trees for winter wood? Can and pickle to make sure you have food through the winter? How many of you have a cage full of carrier pigeons to send notes? Hardly anyone. Because we’ve made what was once hard work…easier.
That’s where real value is derived. Hard work in and of itself does not produce success. It does eventually lead to a law-of-diminishing returns. But, working hard to make what was once hard easier? That produces value. That produces success.
“What happens if I make hard work easier and get let go?” Then take your new learnings and go solve problems for someone else. I can tell you the right manager – when evaluating candidates – will perk their ears up at “I work hard to turn hard work into easier work.”
Do you know how many times a hiring manager hears “I’m a hard worker?” If you’re trying to ‘sell’ yourself…while sounding just like everyone else…what are your odds of differentiating yourself? Slim. And none.
If you want to bang your chest about something…bang it on the fact that you’ve turned something that was once hard into something that’s easier. Bang your chest on the processes and tools...the systems and ideas that allowed you to decrease effort while increasing output. Those are the problems to solve and solving those problems will lead you down the path of success, however you may define it.
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