We often hear the mantra, “Work hard and you can achieve anything.” I’ve certainly echoed this sentiment many times, emphasizing the value of effort in overcoming obstacles and reaching goals (as seen in my posts about the choice to be mediocre, self-limiting beliefs, comfort zone, choosing the difficult road, just showing up, and what makes you bad-ass). However, recent observations have revealed a crucial missing piece in this advice: wisdom in choosing what to work hard on. I’ve noticed that many individuals diligently pursue goals as I advocate, yet are deeply unhappy in the process. This is because they pursue the wrong goals.
A recent event I attended that included a Q&A with high-level directors working at big tech companies brought this point into sharp focus. Intended to inspire engineers to move up in their careers, the talk inadvertently revealed a different truth. Both directors expressed a desire to return to being junior level engineers in retirement – a role focused on coding, free from soul-sucking meetings.
The irony was palpable. These individuals, who seemingly reached the pinnacle of corporate success, yearned for the very role they had long since left behind. How did they allow so many years of their lives taken up by a job they don’t even want? Why are they still there? Perhaps the allure of higher salaries or societal prestige guided their mistaken choices. Or maybe they’ve allowed their lifestyle to inflate with every promotion and thus cannot afford to walk away, having made themselves slaves to their jobs.
This leads to my central point: be discerning about where you direct your efforts. Don’t let external measures like money or status dictate your path. By all means, work hard, and even pursue money if it serves your deeper goals. But do invest your energy in pursuits that resonate with your personal meaning. What constitutes “meaning” is a deeply individual question, rooted in your unique passions and talents. Trust your own inner compass and bullshit meter. Don’t let external pressures steer you wrong.
