I wrote “The NOT Definition Of Hard Work” and that got a few people excited. Now the question some have asked is, “What Is The Definition Of Hard Work”. I’ve said some of my peace on what it is not, now let me state what it is.
Of course, this is not a comprehensive definition. As with many things there are contextual factors. Thus, I’m not likely to cover everything. I could just flip everything I wrote in the earlier blog post but I’d rather not. Feel free to read it here and decipher the other side of it. So, on the definition of hard work:
At the core, hard work has to do with how engaged one is with his mission or a component of it:
Resolve
This is one of the things that separates the hard workers, the diligent from the lazy. The sluggards give up as soon as it is convenient.
Hard work is unrelenting focus [Click to Tweet]
It is the doggedness is pursuit of solutions. It is about making a way when none is obvious, easy or convenient. Hard work is inherent to a worthy pursuit of mission. This applies in the sense that fulfilling mission is not optional.
The lazy, look for every excuse to quite or do the minimal. The hard workers do all the can to get the most they can. The lazy focus on the comfort, the hard workers focus on the result.
The lazy look for reasons to not apply themselves. Hard workers are more motivated by the win. This leads me to the next point.
Engaged
Hard workers are engaged. It is about always interrogating strategy and means. This is a sign that there is mental engagement. In this realm there are many attempts. In the context of teams and organisations, many conversations go with experiments. Hard work is leaving no stone unturned.
The Translation
These two things, resolve and engagement, manifest themselves in different forms. Sometimes it is putting in a few extra hours. It also being sure that there are no possibilities unexplored. This could mean doing a few more experiments.
Remember
Hard work is always the means, never the object.