[quote style=”boxed”]Hard work isn’t something you just happen to do, it is the drive for happiness and achieving goals which ultimately gives you the confidence to get stuff done in a timely and effective manner.[/quote]
Throughout the years, i have often been told that working hard is the key to a successful and happy life. But it wasn’t until most recently that i started to see the truth behind what the underlying meaning of that phrase was and why i now think working hard is a myth.
Are we really spending 7 hours of our time in the office working productively? or is most of it spent talking with colleagues, making frequent coffee trips or reading up on the latest news or celebrity gossip?
The truth is, while hard work is all well and good on the surface, it really doesn’t help explain the real cause as to what it really is. Sure, we can spend all of our time in an office typing away at the keyboard. But are we really doing what we’re supposed to be doing on a daily basis. Or in other words:
Are we being productive with our time?
Working hard and being happy are directly linked. In my time working with people and studying at University, i have often found that my joy and happiness and my ability to get stuff done has all been a result of my interest in the activity; Getting in a state of flow and not thinking about the time remaining before i have to leave for my next train home.
Understanding this, is it any wonder why so many people are unhappy with their jobs? Granted, many of us have to work for a living and pay the bills which is part of life. Yet what we often overlook is our overall happiness and mental health along the way.
For most honest working class people, this is a very difficult concept to grasp, especially if you’ve lived in a modest environment where getting by and bringing bread to the table is what matters.
So in reality, what we need to be doing in order to work productively and effectively is to focus on what makes us happy and to live life on those terms.
Are you really where you want to be in life or just doing it to get by?
What are your interests and passions? Do you have goals and dreams that make you excited when thinking about it? If so, let me give you some advice which has taken me years to really embrace.
No one really cares or believes in those dreams as much as you do
Why is this so important to understand? Because if you’re not careful or not 100% convinced of your dreams turning into a reality, you will soon be lead to believe that what they’re all saying is true.
And so you’re lead down the typical path –
“Maybe i don’t have what it takes to fulfill my dreams after all…”
“Who am i to make grand claims, i’m just an average person living an average life…”
“Maybe the people around me are right, surely they must see something in me in order to say that…”
And further down the bitter path you go.
The truth is, being completely happy or obtaining happiness and self-confidence often takes courage and strength of character in order to push through the initial barriers and hurdles set along the way.
Most of these hurdles are from other people. Maybe from the neighborhood you live in or from your circle of friends. But the biggest challenge of all, is in your ability to stick by your beliefs and convictions despite everyone’s disapproval and possibly losing friends, work colleagues or even family members along the way.
It takes great courage, yet is often something that is mustered through conviction and belief in your ability to achieve. Which goes back to my point about hard work.
If you’re in an office after hours or working weekends then chances are, you’re not working effectively and maybe time to start re evaluating whether what you’re doing is what you really want to do.
When i was often told this by family members, i would take this to heart and get upset about it. But as with all family members and people that truly care about you, they only want the best from you and to see you ‘happy’.
It makes a lot of sense when looking at things in context because now, your emphasis isn’t to just get work done but to figure out whether what you’re really doing is aligned with your goals, dreams and your overall happiness.
What are your reasons for doing what you love? Maybe it’s for financial independence, supporting your new family or traveling the world. The important thing is to find out what it is and to then take strides to make it happen.
This is vital to building self confidence because it all starts from your ability to love yourself and to make yourself happy. No one else can really give that to you but yourself.
It all begins with you.
