What We Talk About When We Talk About Hard Work

“I learned the value of hard work by working hard.” Margaret Mead

(Quick aside: No, this isn't so much about fitness. But it can be applied to fitness quite easily. Plus I wrote it and I think it's important, so here you go!)

You can do it!

The value of hard work, which should never be underestimated, mind you, is difficult to appreciate. Not because people don’t like to work hard, but rather because the meaning of “hard work” is incredibly vague.

All throughout high-school and college, we’re told that accomplishing great things takes “hard work.” That grad school is going to be “hard work.” That your first year of a new career is “hard work, but worth it.” But no one elaborates, no one gives you a full detailed report of what “hard work” actually is. Possibly because they themselves have no idea.

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” Stephen King

With physical endeavors, be they feats of fitness or manual labor, hard work is much easier to define: you literally run the extra mile, you push yourself past physical exertion to accomplish things you couldn’t accomplish yesterday. But in office or academic situations, there are no real physical manifestations of “pushing yourself”.

So how do you know if you’re “working hard” or just working?

From my experience in an office setting and in the strange world of NYC musical theatre, as well as from research, I’ve learned that successful “hard work” comprises 4 qualities, which I will attempt to explain here.

1. Motivation. “But what’s my character’s motivation?” is often heard in acting classes by actors attempting to find meaning in their scene, even if their character is just making a cup of coffee. Without a reason to work hard, without a singular, specific goal in mind, obstacles will make you ask yourself “What’s the point?” and give up. Choose a goal, any goal, but know why you want to accomplish it. Write both of these things down somewhere you can see them every day.

2. Plan of action. Those who work hard do not stray from their goal, come hell, high water or crippling self-doubt, because they have a step-by-step plan of how the goal can be accomplished. It’s great to say, “I want to be the CEO of an electronics company by 2020,” but the next question is, “Okay, how?” Find out. Research what other people in the position you desire have done to get there (e.g., earned a certain degree, spent x number of years in a lower role). Make a track for yourself and then stay on it.

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” Booker T. Washington

3. Perseverance. This is the part where people usually fold, and the part that is the most important. This is where you stay at work past 5 (sometimes many, many hours past 5) to help get a project done. This is where you write 100 cover letters, each personalized, to possible employers, even after your first 50 have been rejected. I’ve known theatre actors who have been working crummy server jobs, waking up at 4 AM and standing in the freezing cold on lines of 300+ people for a chance to sing 8 bars to producers, barely making a living for five full years or more—and then finally landed a Broadway role. They reached their goal because they persevered, keeping their eyes on the prize. That’s what it takes.

4. Sacrifice. When it comes down to it, there just are not enough hours in the day to have it all. Something’s gotta give, and if you’re truly dedicated to your goal, then giving it up isn’t an option. Maybe hard work means sacrificing time with your family, or having a house out in the suburbs. Maybe it means forgoing vacations for a few years, or even sacrificing the negative thoughts about yourself that have curtailed your potential in the past. Sacrifice isn’t “fun,” but when you reach your goal, it will be worth it.

“Hard work” is pretty individualized, but these four qualities come standard. 

How would you define “hard work”?