I believe the best things in life come from hard work — a meaningful career, strong relationships, and good health all require constant effort & discipline.
But why is it that when we struggle with something difficult the usual advice is to push harder? Work longer, push through the pain. (As a man, this is especially true.)
Here’s the thing though: hard work doesn’t have to equal painful work.
We can restructure hard goals in a way that feels much more aligned with how we operate.
That could mean breaking down a 10-mile run into five 2-mile runs. Or working with a couples therapist. Or signing up for a 10-day meditation retreat.
The specific reframe depends on who you are and the goal at hand.
Hard work doesn’t have to be something that you have to push through. With thoughtful reframing, hard work can, and should, feel achievable.
At the end of it, having the sense of fulfillment, contentment and joyousness is the bi-product of hard work. If fatigue occurs, revisiting will be a good idea as the hard work has probably turned into pressure.
What do you think.?