Success is associated with hard work. In the industrial era hard work meant putting in long, grueling hours and working to the point of physical exhaustion. Today, work is more complex and mentally taxing. Hard work means something different. It now includes self-awareness, mental clarity, and good judgement—thinking straight.
It’s tough to get good results when we’re not thinking straight. But thinking straight is easier said than done, because fatigue causes our cognitive brain to check out. Emotion and ego seize control. We think we’re fine, but in reality, we’re not—emotion and ego are not known for good judgement calls.
Regularly scheduling time to rest and regroup—and treating it as an unbreakable appointment—assures that we have adequate space to think and make better decisions.
The value you create—the thing you do that no one else can do—is where your greatest contribution lies. It’s a product of your mind. It’s thought-stuff.
Positive, focused, rested minds make better thought-stuff.
Positive, focused, rested minds get better results.
It seems the hardest part of hard work nowadays is taking care of our most valuable tool, our mind.
Feature photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash