The True Meaning of the Wealthy’s Favorite Catchphrase ‘Work Hard, Get Rich’
They never really say what they mean.
Ask a rich person what you must do to be like them, and most will answer, “Work hard.”
But what does this statement mean? Considering how hard you work, if it were that simple, you would have been rich by now.
The meaning of the phrase isn’t black-and-white. There’s more to it than just ‘working hard.’
In this article, we will use two hypothetical pianists, Jack, the rich pianist, and Joe, the poor pianist, as examples to illustrate.
“Work Hard, Mate.”
One Saturday evening, Jack and Joe, friends, both piano buskers, met for a couple of beers in a local bar as per their tradition after a long day of busking.
Jack: My girlfriend’s pregnant.
Joe: Wow, that’s huge! Congrats.
But are you ready to have a kid though?
Jack: I don’t know, man.
I’m excited about being a dad, but honestly, I don’t think I’m in the financial position to have a child right now.
Joe: So, how are you guys going to afford everything? You know that kids are expensive, right?
Jack: (sighs)I don’t know, man, I don’t know.
As they talked, an English man walked in and sat beside the bar. He had on a Burberry tracksuit, custom-made Gucci spectacles, and a gold-plated Rolex that complimented the tracksuit.
Man: Craigellachie on the rocks, please.
Bartender: Unfortunately, we don’t have that one, sir.
Man: Hennessy then, the VSOP……
Make it a double.
Bartender: Coming right up……
I’ve never seen you here before. Are you from around here?
Jack and Joe listened as the bartender and the man conversed.
The man was a successful music producer and was only in the city on business.
His Lamborghini had broken down nearby, so he decided to grab a drink while waiting for his Uber to arrive.
After a short while, he checked his phone, and his Uber had arrived. The man stood up to leave.
But Joe wasn’t going to let him go without asking him.
Joe: So, Sir, how does one become wealthy and successful like you?
The man smiled and replied while walking away.
Man: You work hard, mate.
The two friends felt motivated. If someone in the same industry could be successful, so could they.
They would ‘work hard’ just as the man had said.
However, they understood the statement in two different ways.
‘Work Hard’ Sometimes Means ‘Be Creative.’
Jack and Joe decided that they would work hard to be as rich and successful as the man in the bar.
Joe’s Version of Working Hard
In pursuing financial freedom, Joe(the poor pianist) thought that if he worked on his piano skills and became better, he would make much more.
He decided to enroll in an advanced piano class. He also decided to dedicate more time to practice.
In two years, he was much better and had mastered new skills. He had also learned to play other types of pianos and was so proud of himself.
However, Joe still couldn’t make much money.
Jack’s Version of Working Hard
Jack also kept his promise that he would work hard to become rich(Well, he had to, since he had a child in the picture).
However, instead of focusing solely on enhancing his piano skills, Jack studied how to make more money using his music.
He enrolled in a digital marketing course and also took entrepreneurship classes.
In a few months, Jack was no longer busking for change.
He established a YouTube channel where he would post videos of song covers he made with his piano, and sometimes he posted original songs(An idea he got from his entrepreneurship class).
He was also utilizing social media to promote his work and content. Within a year, he had established a loyal audience on his socials who loved his music.
Bar and restaurant owners were now hiring him to play some of his pieces and entertain their customers.
Jack also started teaching kids piano classes, and with his marketing skills, he managed to get a substantial number of clients in no time.
Two Years after the Bar Incident
In two years, Jack had found his financial freedom and was making more than he ever thought he’d be able to make.
However, the same cannot be said for Joe, who was still busking in the streets.
Even though he managed to enhance his skills and his earnings increased, it was not by a substantial margin(Well, you can only make so much busking, to be fair)
So sometimes, when we hear rich people say one has to work hard to become rich, we take it literally and think it means putting more hours into our work.
While that may be partially true, there is a twist if your ultimate goal is to make exponentially more money.
While Joe put in more hours into his work and became a good pianist, even better than Jack, only a few people knew about him.
He still couldn’t reach the ultimate goal of making money.
You need to figure out how best to monetize your work to make money. And you make more money with more people knowing what you have to offer.
Also, these people have to be the right people for what you worked hard on.
The Other Meanings of ‘Hard Work’
Consistency and Persistence
The journey to financial freedom also requires consistency.
Establishing a solid base takes work. Jack’s journey to success involved studying different things simultaneously.
It requires a great deal of discipline and consistency.
Most success stories involve remaining consistent and persistent even if the results don’t come instantly.
Learn And Adapt
If you want to make money, then you must be willing to learn new things and adapt to new environments and trends.
Notice how Jack embraced new forms of marketing using digital methods and social media to market his work.
This enabled his work to reach a much wider audience, and, as a result, he got more opportunities to monetize his skill.
Master the deeper meaning of ‘work hard,’ and success is almost definite. Ignore the hidden meaning, and luck will be your only chance at success.
