Working hard is something I admire and strive to do every day. even on my days off I like to make sure I work hard at playing with my kids and taking care of my household duties. If I am traveling or what I call“Adventuring” I also look forward to the hard work that it takes to set up a camp , or hike to a destination or jog even in the early morning. I love to swim and cook in the great outdoors so to me thats work I look forward to. Not only do I take pride in hard work, I also appreciate the ability to do so. Its like a privilege even more so when the work your doing is the work you chose. I was listening to a podcast this morning and heard about the differences between a job and a career. It was fascinating to hear and learn something I definitely misunderstood by definition but already put to practice. Essentially Having a job is defined as doing something you wouldn't do if it wasn't compensated for . As for a career, it never ends. The endless days and nights, bringing your work home with you but loving it all the while. We could debate all day between what is a healthy work life balance but thats not what I’m trying to do here. More less I am pointing out the difference between what you love to do and what you do because you get paid to do it. One is a career and one is a job. Making the clear line in the sand helps me see where in my careerthere also exists the need for job like tasks. Most of my career is doing the things I consider enjoyable, and some of it is just a job. The 80/20 rule also known as The Paretos Principle , definitely applies here. 80% of my career even if its extremely hard work, its work I enjoy or chose to do, The other 20% or hopefully less, is the work I have to do to make sure I am succeeding at my currentproject or task . All the while the hard work is absolutely involved. To get to the pointof this blog and clarify the tile, I think it is easy to see that hard work exists both in a career and in a job. Both are worth seeing the difference in, I just feel one is more valuable to the quality of your life than the other. So that being said, to define the tile I would say it is easy to just get a job, do what your told and stick to a 9-5 schedule 5 days a week. I am not saying that hard work is not involved but i am saying it can be a form of laziness. Sometimes if we stay super busy we think we are doing a good job, and how could that be lazy? Well , I feel the laziness comes in when you just do the monotonous day to day life, never pushing never growing and or challenging yourself. The laziness comes into play when you don't plan strategically , plan how you will get the life you know you deserve and are willing to work hard to attain , but you won't take the time to do the planning. Thats lazy. Sometimes working and staying busy is most definitely lazy since you just do what your told mindlessly. If that's offensive, tough. Maybe thats a cue for you to at least reflect a little and see where the room for growth is in your life weather its in a career or a 9-5 job. I have found it easy to see the difference in applying hard work to things you love or things you just get paid to do . I look at it simply . Would I do it for free. This hopefully outlines the idea that its imperative to working smarter and not just harder. Maybe even more importantly working Consciously And Thoughtfully instead of just getting through the day. Do the hard work involved in growing as a person. Get busy and stay there with becoming a better you and the best version you know you can be. You deserve it, your family and friends deserve it and our communities and so on deserve the best version of you that you can be. Notice I didn't say to be what others want you to be or what I think you should be. You decide. After all you have been deciding where your life goes all along. To quote an amazing book(Man’s search for meaning ) by author Viktor E. Frankle ,I willleave you with this. “ To be sure, a human being is a finite thing, and his freedom is restricted. It is not freedom from conditions, but freedom to take a stand towards the conditions.” .
Live fierce , work hard and never stop.
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