Hard Work Won't Always Make You Richer
It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? -- Henry David Thoreau
I’ve spent much of my working life believing the harder I work, the more successful I will be...
What I have realised is that if ‘hard work’ is your definition of success, you will achieve plenty of success.
Unfortunately for me... that isn’t the success I was chasing.
Success for me is having the financial means to live my dream life ($772,740/ year), having time & emotional awareness to be a husband, father & friend, still pursuing hobbies that light me up & having great health and vitality to enjoy my years.
If you define hard work as working 8+ hours days doing all the grunt work... that will never create a life of freedom. Working to create freedom... creates freedom.
It may be the same desired outcome, but they are very different approaches to achieving it...
This is why you must think about the RIGHT thing to work hard on.
Many people believe that hard work is the key to success. They think that if they work hard enough, they will achieve their goals and become rich. But this is not always true. In fact, hard work can sometimes backfire and make you poorer.
I’m 33 this year.
I have worked extremely hard for years and continue to get more of the same... My income rose above the 6-figure mark but has plateaued ever since.
What got me to this point, is not what will get me to my next level. I am working hard on the WRONG things.
When outcomes don’t change you realise something needs to change. I have looked over the last 10 years and the most obvious thing for me is my strategy needs to change.
I have found it confronting to accept the fact I have so passionately been working hard on the wrong things... I feel like I should have known better... and to be honest I did
I have invested over $150,000 in my personal/professional growth and 1000’s of hours... but I have kept my strategy the same.
The problem with my current strategy is I have reached my limit. It's time to evolve
The comfort sucked me in and fear of losing it made me not enforce the next changes.
This is why it’s important to have the compelling vision. The life you want to create should pull you through the challenges.
I could say it all happens at the right time, but if I am being honest... I just thought I could do it better.
I have had mentors telling me I should change my strategy to achieve my goals for probably the last 3 years... but I truly believed I could do it my way.
Lesson: If you pay someone who has the results you want for advice... probably listen
I have needed to get out of my own way and let go of an identity that I didn’t realise I was attached to.
I have been fixated on helping men aren’t ready to change...
I know what I want, I have a plan to achieve it and I know what makes me stand out from others.
I must let go of control and work to my strengths. Working smarter in my eyes means solving bigger problems with the flexibility I need to live a great life... it is possible.
Most people who are working hard, believe hard work will always rise to the top...
It’s not the case from my experience.
You must be working hard on the RIGHT THING.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Here are 3 key points I wish I accepted earlier.
Success doesn't always mean money, it could mean time
Delayed gratification can pay off in the long run
Marketing always wins
I adopted a belief of success that didn’t motivate me for anything but recognition. I had never questioned why society put money on a pedestal in the way that it did.
Men seem to be recognised for the amount of money we have.. Women are recognised for their looks.... It's wrong and we should think about it more.
I feel it's a distraction for the truly important things in life... family, health & happiness
Money has so many shiny things attached... freedom, success, recognition, status. It grabs the desire of many... I know it did for me.
I coach a lot of men who earn 7 / 8 figures & I have seen how achieving the status, money and success doesn’t always lead them to live a fulfilling life.
They start working with me to get more control over their time, to improve their relationships, boost their energy & confidence... find hobbies.
We don't need money to achieve that... we need to invest our time into the RIGHT THINGS...
Communication
Time Management
Nutrition
Sleep
I am in a fortunate position where I believe I can achieve the financial goals without sacrificing relationships, time, health & Hobbies. It comes down to working on the RIGHT THINGS, managing your time better and saying NO.
In saying that, this is where delayed gratification comes in. The world we live in affords us things at the press of a button... We can watch anything we want on our phone, order dinner from uber eats & gifts on amazon.
Just this morning I decided I wanted something for my golf bag... 3 minutes later it was ordered
We don’t have to wait...
Building a great life doesn’t work like that.
It is about the dance between doing things now and delaying things for the future.
The easiest way I look at it is this...
Life will be full of regrets; you must decide which regrets you can live with.
I regret working hard for the past 10 years and missing out on birthdays, reunions & events.. but I can live with that regret as it has helped improve my ability to coach, built my network, grown my understanding in business.
It wasn't possible for me to work on the right things when I was younger... I had no idea what they were for me. This is why I love frameworks... not being told what to do.
You can take a framework and fill it in for your personal experience. We all have different strengths & weaknesses. That is why what works for me, isn't the exact thing that will work for you.
But if I were to give you a framework like the one in my 3 hour Self - Discovery Program. Your process to finding out who you are, what you want & where you belong will look entirely different.... and so it should.
Do I regret not finding frameworks for outcomes I wanted earlier... well I like the idea of having achieved success earlier ha-ha.
Delayed gratification is why so many dads miss their children's first sports carnivals, birthday parties & bedtimes.
Because they believe they are working for a better tomorrow... they are hoping to buy time in the future.
There is no right or wrong... we may disagree but that is a personal belief thing.
As a man must think about this and decide.
I personally don’t want to miss sports carnivals, birthdays or bedtimes. That is why I have been building my life the way I have since 2014.
Working hard can make you believe others will appreciate the sacrifices... but it's not always the case.
Some of the hardest workers I know have been spinning their wheels for years. Watching their life fall apart around them.
They have a clear image of what they are building towards, but they have done a terrible job marketing it to the people that matter most.
We live in an extremely busy/noisy world. Everyone is after attention... including you.
Attention from family, friends, clients etc.
For connections, experiences or business
But if you aren’t marketing yourself to the right people, no one will notice.
If you're wondering why I am saying MARKETING... it's the same reason i believe you should learn sales.
We are constantly marketing & selling ourselves. Yet, most people hate the idea of it... those who understand how it works tend to build the life they want.
Marketing yourself in life is just showing WHO YOU ARE, to the people you want to know.
I do it daily... I market myself as a husband, athlete, coach and more...
People needs to know your goals, your vision & mission...
The problem is many men are too afraid to share it... they fear judgement or being seen.
It's something you must get comfortable with to live a great life.
It is also something I help you work through in the 3 hour Self - Discovery Program.
By finding who you are & embracing that you can than start building the best community to thrive.
It’s how so many families grow together. Take the iron cowboy for example who I had on ep 561. He had his whole family buy into his vision and 10 years later they all work together.
So don’t underestimate marketing. Its powerful in business and in life.
If no one knows...Then nobody can support you.
I want to encourage you to think about this questions:
What do I want to experience over the next 5 year?
Where do I need to invest my time to achieve this?
This is a good starting point. It may help you refocus where you need to put your time.
Especially if you work hard and haven't achieved your dream life yet.
The Man That Can Project - Self Discovery Program
It will help you refocus on YOU.
As I stated in this newsletter. It’s time for me to grow & start helping others with the experience I have.
I saved a program like this for my high-end clients.
But I am in a new chapter of life.
I know this will help you.
Thanks for reading.
See you next week
Lachie