I listened to two very different podcasts this week that resulted in a similar conclusion: hard work is almost always better than not; especially in the back half of life. Before framing the discussions in the podcasts, let’s outline some general benefits of hard work:
Endurance - hard work conditions you to do more for longer physically, mentally, spiritually, etc.
Resilience - hard work reinforces strong attitudes and the ability to withstand hardship.
Character - hard work teaches important lessons about how and with whom you conduct your business.
Preparedness - hard work stresses the importance of anticipation and adaptability.
Commitment - hard work requires consistent effort and determination.
Reliability - hard work improves our ability to serve others well.
The first podcast was an interview with serial entrpreneur and self-described inventor of biohacking, Dave Asprey. He’s most famous for the creation of Bulletproof Coffee and has recently written a new book called Smarter Not Harder: The Biohacker's Guide to Getting the Body and Mind You Want. The interview was fascinating and I learned a lot but couldn’t shake the impression that he was making a case for avoiding hard work. He had some, um, interesting ideas about the human body, our control over it and even the upside of laziness. The takeaway was that AI (and his company) could give the body and mind all of the benefits of hard work through specific and targeted stimulation and conditioning. Maybe. My take is that there is greater benefit to the journey of hard work than simply a desired outcome. The affluence of modern society allows us to explore how to avoid work and expect the same outcomes, I suppose, but the lessons of earning your outcome through struggle, suffering and commitment are harder to measure.
The second podcast was about industry titan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and more specially, his war with William Walker. This will take some creative interpretation to validate the merits of hard work but follow me for a moment. William Walker was an intellectual of the period who graduated medical school by the time he was 19, got a law degree sometime after and during the period of manifest destiny, used his superior intellect and resources to filibuster in countries. Vanderbilt ultimately defeated him by nefarious means, allegedly, because he didn’t care to play by the rules of stately conduct. Neither Walker nor Vanderbilt are men I aspire to be for a multitude of very obvious reasons. I won’t even try to defend them but what struck me is that struggle and suffering are tools for those who utilize them and are hard to beat in times of conflict. Avoiding them may be convenient but the outcome is measured differently than the lessons learned along the way.
The Bible speaks often of suffering and our necessary dependence on God for deliverance and relief. For reasons that don’t always make sense, I often choose the path of most resistance so I can benefit from the difficulty later. Honestly, it’s not always the right choice, but I have learned a great deal and truly believe its benefited my ability to withstand hardship and do hard things without fear of failure.
I’m so grateful to my parents for teaching and modeling hard work for me and my brother. Even at this age, I still measure my effort by how I think my parents would have done it. Their hard work is still teaching me.
If this or any other post from 2nd Half Rally has impacted you, I’d be grateful if you’d share with others (directly or on social media) who might benefit from it or simply enjoy my attempts at learning hard lessons. Thank you!