I get into this discussion quite a bit. It’s even been hard for me to accept...but these days, I don’t believe hard work pays off.
People love to toss that phrase out after their hard work pays off. I honestly don’t blame them. Hard work is risky on its own, and usually involves other risks on top of it, so I get that people are relieved, but I don’t think we should let that relief cloud our judgement.
When hard work pays off, it’s usually accompanied by a ton of strategy, connections, “smart” planning, and at least a little (usually a lot of) luck.
Some people will throw qualifiers behind it to say something like “Hard work pays of when...XYZ”, but really. If we have to add that many conditions, is it really the hard work that’s doing the work?
My grandparents were domestic workers and sharecroppers. Their hard work kept them alive, but there were people who worked a lot less and saw much bigger payoffs. Even in my own career, the times I was working the hardest were the times I was rewarded the least and even in some cases, punished the most.
Same goes for my freelance career. I worked a lot harder at the beginning, when my income was at its lowest, than now, when it’s considerably higher and my life is considerably better.
Aiming to work less and step away from the religion of “hard work” is the first step to identifying the opportunities in your specific life that yield more for less effort. Make sure you’re not too busy to notice them when they do show up.