Are You Working Hard Enough?

Hard work: it’s the secret to success, we’re told from an early age — by our parents, society and pretty much every person who achieves notable success.
 
But what exactly is “working hard” and how do we know if we’re working hard enough? 
 
Good question. We’re not really taught any nuance around what constitutes “hard work.” And because work in today’s world isn’t linear and we don’t get immediate feedback after each task letting us know that we’re on the path to success — “you just took three steps toward getting that new client/industry recognition/championship win!” — we use proxies like time (working 18 hour days), suffering (sleep deprivation, health issues) and sacrifice (of our relationships, interests) to prove to others and ourselves how hard we’re working…and therefore, how worthy we are of success.
 
While the “hard work” to reach our goals does, in fact, require hours of dedication and opportunity cost, it’s not about:
 
– Being busy, always doing something (checking email, for example) when it doesn’t relate to your ultimate goal…
– Working 14-hour days, without a break, for weeks on end
– Waiting till you get really sick in order to justify taking time off….
– Going home frustrated because you had a list of 20 things to do and you only did 11….
– Going to bed feeling guilty because, once again, you didn’t keep your promises to the people you care about…
– Worrying about how much you have to do without actually doing anything…
Ha, how many of you already knew this? You might also know that you’re supposed to have a morning routine, eat a frog first thing, have a top-three, take breaks every 90 minutes, turn off your phone…and many other “ridiculously useful” tips.
 
And yet, how many of you know what you need to be doing — but aren’t doing it consistently?
 
It’s not your fault; having information is not enough. The key lies in mastering your biology and your psychology and I’m developing the “Mental Six Pack” Mindset Mastery membership to help you do that.
 
In the meantime, I’m curious: what’s your biggest challenge in being productive and performing well on a daily basis?