meaningful hard work
I think sometimes we shy away from effort, when it’s the very thing that will improve the quality of our lives the most.
Not just effort or hustle for the sake or effort and hustle. No. Effort for an intentional, meaningful reason.
Life gains great definition and clarity through the channels we pour our hard work into.
Two years ago, I spent a lot of time focusing on hard work and my own discipline and follow through. I thought a lot about happiness and effort.
In September of 2021, I wrote,
I know success comes from hard work.
I know there is no happy life for me without practicing gratitude, staying present, and being willing to accept and engage with challenges, difficulty, and hard fucking work.
My happiness grows through my willingness to embrace joy and pain together.
My happiness grows through my willingness to work hard.
My SELF grows.
I think the whole idea of everyday magic is letting joy and struggle and pain coexist together and learning how to live in and through and with it all together. Everyday magic is choosing to keep showing up, no matter what.
That same September two years ago, I also wrote,
The secret to an incredible, successful, FUN life: hard work. Every day.
The secret to happiness (for me anyway, because I have tried the things others recommend to be happy and something was still missing): practicing GRATITUDE, being PRESENT, and WORKING HARD…
We VALUE and ENJOY what we work hard for.
I am better for it.
My day is better for it…
This is making me…
Unnecessary resistance and suffering doesn’t have to happen when you know life is hard for everyone! ESPECIALLY the really successful people who are living the life of their dreams; they’re living that dream life because they work HARD for it, and they never stop.
I won’t either.
The path to joy and an absolutely crazy beautiful, wonderful life is THROUGH the pain and hard work. I have to rise to the challenge every day. Every day is a gift. Every challenge is an opportunity. I am becoming who I want to be and who I’m meant to be.
Joy and challenge go together.
We can do hard things.
And:
I decided a few weeks ago the ingredients to happiness for me were practicing gratitude, choosing joy, being present, and working hard…
I don’t think I used to know that hard work is the key to satisfaction and purpose. I always wanted everything to be perfect and feel easy. I thought I would be satisfied when everything was smooth and tidy and just like I planned on, so of course I always felt cheated when it was harder than that or when that didn’t work out. Hard work will never, ever be perfect or easy. Hard things aren’t easy things. But we can do hard things…
It’s amazing you can learn to love hard things. I want to get better at that. I don’t want to feel injustice and unfairness and feel like everything should be easier or more convenient for me. I don’t want to be pissed and bitter when things aren’t or when I get rejected or I am not treated as well as I want to be or when I fail or have to work harder than I thought I would.
Hard work is one of my keys to happiness, success, and freedom. I am getting better at it, and I want to remember to be grateful for it, and to remember I love doing it.
I can learn to love hard work because there are so many gifts and good things that come from hard work. And a lot of it is fun by itself anyway!
Today, I woke up at 5:30, worked from 7:00 to 4:00, went straight from work to gym until 5:40, and then went to a Zumba class right after the gym! I left my house before 6:30 AM and did not get home until after 7 PM!
But the evening made me feel AMAZING. I LOVE lifting. I need to lift. Training fuels me and makes me proud and makes me feel confident and strong. It makes me motivated for the future and excited about the present.
I also like to dance and be with girlfriends and share a fun, loud, gettin-down Zumba class. It was so groovy and awesome and just what I needed tonight, and I loved every bit.
That’s two big workouts back-to-back! When I’ve been in a slump and struggling to moderate my schedule and workout goals and not just collapsing into the couch every single night! When I’ve been having a hard time getting up early and keeping my gym routine the same!
Tonight, my body is content. My legs are sore. I can’t wait to go back for more tomorrow, haha.
In some things — like routines and fitness and social life — I’ve been feeling a little bit of a slump coming on lately, and this is such an important and timely reminder for me: when we pour massive effort and loving dedication into something meaningful in our lives, we will get a lot back from it.
I needed to be reminded tonight of my power and my ability to do hard things. I needed to be reminded challenge makes me better, and I’m not happier when I’m sitting on the couch watching Netflix as much as possible (not bashing couch time or tv, both are precious to me and play their role! Lol), I’m happier when I’m digging into my potential and working hard for what I care about.
Showing up as Who We Want to Be matters. I want to be someone with dedication and passion and energy for life. I’ve discovered key ingredients to happiness, for me, are practicing gratitude, being present, choosing joy, and working hard. Someone who embodies all of this and has energy and dedication isn’t going to shirk away from effort all the time. Someone with energy and passion and joyful hard work isn’t going to be stuck stagnant, avoiding responsibility, and trying to find the path of least resistance.
Effort invested brings more reward. More value. More enjoyment.
Ease is wonderful, whenever we can let things be as easy as possible (AKA not adding drama), but choosing the easiest thing just to dodge challenge isn’t usually the way.
Giving our very best, committing to something big, sometimes just makes us love that thing even more. Maybe when we’re in a slump, we need to give more, not try to disappear more. Sometimes the answer to finding the path through is just embracing the challenge and running straight towards the hard work. Sometimes, this wakes you up, and life suddenly seems all the more beautiful.
It can be difficult to see. When I’m lonely or getting stagnant or feeling dragged down about something, my first thought isn’t usually, I should get up and DO SOMETHING BIG about this! But sometimes, that’s absolutely the most freeing choice.
Meaningful hard work reminds us how much we love what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. Meaningful hard work makes us want to return to the work. Meaningful hard work brings a great sense of fulfillment. Meaningful hard work renews energy and connects and uplifts. Meaningful hard work can bring you into the circles you need to be in, help to fill your loneliness, bring you closer to your people, and restore your belonging, and instill within you an ironclad vision of your strong self and your beautiful future.
Keep working hard. When it’s for the right things, it’s transformation.
