We naturally tend to look for the easy way out and follow the path of least resistance when trying to achieve our goals. Paying the price and following due process seems like a real pain. If we had our way, we’d love to get the prize without paying the price. Slogans like “Don’t work hard, work smart” ring like music in our ears. We hope that we can achieve the desired result by doing little or no work. Many have interpreted this to mean that there is a lazy way to achieve success. If you’ve tried these shortcuts before, you know that nothing could be further from the truth. There is no lazy road to the top. Without a doubt, effort can be wasted if not applied intelligently. Working smart should be the norm. Hard work comes into play in the context of smart work. Without hard work, you can’t get far.

Becoming the best in any field of endeavor requires a lot of hard work. It is estimated that it takes 10,000 hours of hard work to reach the top of any field. You simply have to pay what you are entitled to. The best in any field are the hardest working people with a very strong work ethic. They arrive a little earlier, work a little longer, and close a little later. They don’t hang out with the crowd and their performance is at the highest level. The best athletes in the world work harder than their peers. They show up at the practice range first, and usually stay practicing long after their buddies have left for fun in town.

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

“It’s not the will to win that matters, everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters” – Paul Bryant

Hard work separates the men from the boys. It takes a great deal of self-discipline to work hard in a focused manner until one gains experience in any field or achieves an important goal. Hard work also means focusing on personal growth, development and continuous improvement. Continuous study and learning is hard work. It takes hard work and discipline to finish a good book a week if you have a day job and also mind your own business after hours. Often we know what we need to do to advance to the next level, but we lack the discipline and hard work ethic to do it now. We leave for tomorrow things that we could do today as procrastinators in question. We console ourselves with the thought that we will cross the bridge when we reach it. Instead of preparing for tomorrow today, we lull ourselves into mediocrity thinking that tomorrow will take care of itself. It doesn’t work that way. The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

We have to work hard in a smart way. We have to commit to doing whatever it takes to reach the skill level we desire or reach the goal we set for ourselves. In an increasingly competitive world, talent is no longer the differentiator but hard work. Given the same level of skill, if you practice when your opponent is doing something else, by the time you both meet, it’s easy to guess who will have the upper hand. Work hard, work smart, work harder, do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. There is no alternative to hard work. The people who sell easy solutions through the books they sell worked hard to write and market those books. They are the ones who will get rich quick, if they find enough gullible people to buy their story. You finish with the book while they finish with the money. Shortcuts are often the longest route to your destination. By the time you discover it’s not working, you’ll have wasted valuable time, energy, and resources. Principles are no respecter of persons. It is possible to find an easier way to accomplish a task, but there is no alternative to hard work when it comes to sustainable success.