There are a lot of hidden and twisted energies in our everyday language.
When we say “work hard”, both words can carry enormous weight, varying massively one person to the next.
When we think of “work”, we think job, career, labor, toiling, struggle, suffering, selling our time, alarm clocks, traffic, schedules, and more.
We may think of paying taxes, of how we’re bored, unfulfilled, stressed, tired, and dreaming of vacation time… thus never really being present during, nor enjoying, our “time off”.
When we think of what “hard” is, it’s something difficult, tiring, time consuming; it’s struggle, sweat, blood, tears; exhausting and exasperating.
But, it also means drive, focus, goals, plans, developing skills, discovering talents, pushing ourselves to grow, learn, adapt, and to accomplish what we desire.
As we generally accept, “good things” in life come with hard, persistent work.
However, most of the “work” is primarily in breaking through our own barriers, healing trauma, learning about our strengths, honing our abilities, confidence, making the right connections (’cause every business is a people business) and being prepared for opportunities.
So, as with anything, it’s a matter of perspective; how you choose to frame it.
Work, is hard. As an Industrial Age idea, it’s obsolete. But “hard work” is part of life. We need to embrace more of an entrepreneurial mindset.
Our bodies require hard work for strength (not that we’re all required to be physically able). Our minds need it to be stretched, to expand, to rewire and reconfigure synapses, to learn how to regulate our emotions and to gauge situations and circumstances.
We adapt as we go (often learning the “hard” way) on how best to apply our uniqueness in the world.
Being of service — to your heart’s yearnings, to your soul’s purpose, to humanity and beyond — is hard work. We have made it so… at least for now.
Yet, as we all know, hard work that fulfils, challenges, engages and excites, isn’t hard at all. It’s worth reframing it — your life’s work — as simply a variation of play. In the end, that’s how you’ll see it anyway.
Be aware of how you use your language, especially toward your own lovely self. Energy is everything.
Solvitur ambulando