There’s No Substitute for Hard Work

Stop looking for other answers.

It took me too long to realize that, out of all the self-help advice I’ve absorbed, none of it really matters except for one thing:

Hard work.

People don’t harp on this enough. They give you all of this advice—these strategies and tidbits of information—and neglect to spend most of the time telling you how important it is to sit down and do the work daily, consistently, patiently, no matter how you feel.

The thing that most moves the needle forward is hard work. Simple as that.

Forget “work smarter not harder”.

No. Work harder. So much harder.

Work smarter too, of course, but often focusing too much on the “smarter” part makes us think there’s some type of “shortcut”.

In reality, it’s harder to work smarter anyway, so if you’re truly working “smarter”, then it should be some damn good hard work you’re doing.

I guarantee you that what you are doing now isn’t enough.

For 90% of us, it’s not enough.

I think that if you think this way, it could be immensely helpful in getting you to light that fire under your ass or put it out.

Either way, at least you’ve made a decision.

You have to decide whether you will go on long and hard enough for it to be worth it or give up.

I have to preach about this because too often we shun away from the harsh realities of hard work, looking for other answers.

Nothing beats hard work. Nothing.

Talent is trash. Talent leads to early success. Early success often leads to crashing and burning.

It’s those that face the struggle early on and overcome it who get to see what true success is. They’ve learned something valuable and more sustainable than those who succeed by “talent”.

Talent leads to plateaus. Talent leads to stagnation.

Nothing beats hard, consistent effort. Your work at your craft must be like a train that never stops, consistently moving forward.

Success will wait for you. Trust me. It will be there.

It will be there to reward you for your hard work. You’ll be able to wear it as a badge of honor.

Then, just keep moving.

Hard work never ends. It can go as long as want it to go. The only thing that’s truly moving you forward is hard work.

That’s it. That’s all.

Do the work hard and long enough and have the patience to see the fruits of your labor.

You don’t get anywhere worthwhile from doing nothing. Most of our dreams, goals, and ambition is beyond the actual effort we put toward it.

The amount of work required to pursue your greatest dreams is most likely beyond what you are currently doing and almost certainly beyond what you are willing to do.

If you come in with the mindset that you aren’t doing enough, that it will require more from you, then it can open so many doors for you.

This may rub you the wrong way. You may be doing an insane amount of work.

If that’s the case, maybe I’m not talking to you. Maybe.

Just know there’s always more you can do. Even if there isn’t, I’m going to tell you anyway.

That’s because most people need to hear the opposite side of the coin. Most people need to hear that it’s not okay to sit around coddling yourself and feeling sorry for yourself.

Most of the time it isn’t okay to be comfortable and love your pace and relax.

If you have ambitious goals, know that it’s very likely you won’t achieve them because it’s very likely you don’t put in the work to achieve them.

Know that’s it’s hard enough as it is to achieve the dream in the first place. Your dreams may damn near be impossible. It’s likely that even with extremely hard work you will fail.

And yet, hard work is the only thing that gives you a chance.

If this is pissing you off, good. It’s reality.

You’ll make yourself go crazy if you constantly search for other answers, wondering why nothing is working. You’ll blame the world for turning against you.

The world is simply turning, whether you’re with it or not.

Sometimes things are out of our hands, but that doesn’t mean there’s no point in using them.

The mere fact that the goal is still possible, that you are capable, should be enough.

The mere fact that even with the extreme effort you could still fail should push you to give just a little more.

Most people will think that I’m just playing devil’s advocate or being demoralizing, but that’s the problem right there.

This should be the most motivating thing you read.

This is when you don't back down. This is when you test your worth. You put your foot on the gas and don’t let up.

Prove me wrong. Prove the world wrong. Prove yourself wrong.

You believe in yourself, but you really don’t. That’s the problem.

Put in the work. Work so hard that your preparation guarantees success. Work so hard so that in time you slowly but surely become a person you can trust.

You probably don’t trust yourself yet. That little inkling of doubt will kill you and your dreams. You will always hope knowing deep down never believe you will get there.

You don’t trust yourself. You don’t believe in yourself. Not truly, but you can.

Work so hard that when those achievements and little successes start coming your way, your “big” dreams seem smaller and smaller—more and more realistic as the days go by.

You have what it takes, but it will take all that you have.

Don’t hide from this fact. The road isn’t easy, but this isn’t new information to you.

Stop acting surprised when the failure sets in or when the doubts creep in.

You know this is coming.

Don’t you want to see what life is like on the other side of it?