“Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they're making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that's the difference.”
— Lou Holtz, American Football Player and Couch

Hard work is hard — duh. But a simple change in mindset reveals how you can make hard work feel great.

Don’t look at hard work as a punishment, rather, look at it as a tradeoff. By working hard, you’re trading away short-term pleasure for long-term success and happiness.

Sure, scrolling through TikTok, watching TV, or procrastinating might feel good right now but, eventually, those unproductive activities will make you feel the regret of not pursuing your goals. Hard work on the other hand is tough in the beginning, but once you achieve your goal you’ll feel great for a really long time knowing what you've accomplished!

“A lot of hard work is hidden behind nice things.”
— Ralph Lauren, American Fashion Designer

People look at nice things and think “wow, that person is so lucky to have that. Wouldn’t it be great if I had it?“ But what you have to realise is that every nice, great, and beautiful thing that you see took hard work to make.

• That person you see on the beach with tight abs had to train hard and diet clean for years to get their results

• That person with the big house and fancy car (usually) had to sacrifice years of free time to build their career or business

• That famous book you love likely took years of the author being rejected, working alone, and writing… writing… and writing some more

The point is, beautiful things take a lot of hard work to produce. Knowing that makes you appreciate and enjoy them more, and have more admiration for those who created them.

“Inspiration is one thing and you can't control it, but hard work is what keeps the ship moving. Good luck means, work hard. Keep up the good work.”
— Kevin Eubanks, Lead Jazz Guitarist on The Jay Leno Show

Inspiration feels incredible…. but it doesn’t last long. Neither does luck. That’s because they lie outside your control. You can’t count on them, especially in matters that are important to you.

The only thing you can control is your own work. You can always work harder, or smarter. You can always put in more effort to try again, and again, and again. It’s gruelling for sure, but it’s literally your only option.

If inspiration and luck come, great! Consider it a nice boost. But don’t count on them to be there, count on yourself to put in whatever effort is necessary to get the job done.