Not because they can’t. But because they don’t want to.
All the forms of laziness or procrastination are never really what they seem to be. In those states, we’re hardly ready to address what’s really going on.
If you had a gun to your head, you’ll probably work harder.
But if you’re reading this, you definitely have internet access, a smartphone and/or a computer.
Yes, you have problems to deal with. Things I can’t even begin to imagine. Things that would be insulting if I just told you to “get over it”.
But you also have good things.
You have technology and time on your side. You probably have food on your table today.
You might say you don’t know where your next paycheck will come from. Maybe someone else is paying for it.
But right now, this moment, you’re actually okay.
Although hard work won’t guarantee success, not working hard is probably going to guarantee failure.
Hard work doesn’t have to be a backbreaking strain, carrying luggage from one end to the next.
It might mean blocking out 4 hours and focusing on one thing.
Hard work requires an intentional focus on a single task until it’s completed. It can be for 4 hours. It can be a decade.
Everyone works hard on something. The question is whether you choose where you work hard —or if it chooses you.
I’m finalizing the curriculum of my writing course. I had to deal with people who were disappointed that didn’t select them. I had to come to terms with the image I had built and the mistakes I had made over the past few years.
I have been working hard at a few wrong things.
To me, the disappointment, the pain, the failure—all this is a success.
All this shows me where I need to pivot. What I need to stop. What I need to start.
The process is everything.
When you choose to work hard on something, and you’re open to whatever the outcome is, you’re ready to grow.
You’re ready to enjoy your life, on your terms.
So, what are you working hard on today? This week? Or this decade?
Are you choosing it? Or is it choosing you?
This week, my best friend wrote a fictional story from the POV of a doctor about a patient with COVID-19. I recorded the audio for it. I would love to read your comments on the video.