Self-Discipline: Hard Work
June 8th, 2005 by Steve Pavlina
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The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.
- Oprah Winfrey
Hard work — yet another dirty word.
Hard Work Defined
My definition of hard work is that which challenges you.
And why is challenge important? Why not just do what’s easiest?
Most people will do what’s easiest and avoid hard work — and that’s precisely why you should do the opposite. The superficial opportunities of life will be attacked by hordes of people seeking what’s easy. The much tougher challenges will usually see a lot less competition and a lot more opportunity.
There’s an African gold mine two miles deep. It cost tens of millions of dollars to construct, but it’s one of the most lucrative gold mines ever. These miners tackled a very challenging problem with a lot of hard work, but ultimately it’s paying off.
I remember when I was developing the PC game Dweep in 1999, I spent four months full-time working to create a design doc that was only five pages long. It was a logic puzzle game, and I found it extremely challenging to get the design just right. After the design was done, everything else took only two more months — programming, artwork, music, sound effects, writing the installer, and launching the game.
I spent all this time intentionally working on design because at the time, I believed this was where I could get the competitive edge I needed. I knew I couldn’t compete on the basis of the game’s technical attributes. Before I started on the game, I surveyed the competition and found a lot of games that I considered “low hanging fruit.” Most of the market was flooded with clones of older games, the kind of stuff that’s easiest to make. And most of my early games were short on design as well, mostly aim-and-shoot arcade games.
It was much, much harder to design an original game with unique gameplay. But it paid off handsomely. Dweep won the Shareware Industry Award in 2000, and an improved version of the game (Dweep Gold) won that same award the following year. As a result of the success of that game, I was interviewed by a reporter for the New York Times, and my interview along with a nice photo appeared in the June 13, 2001 edition (business section). First released on June 1, 1999, Dweep is now beginning its 7th year of sales. It can’t compete with today’s technology. It couldn’t compete on technology when it was first released. But it still competes well on design with the best of the other competitors in its field. I discovered there are a lot of players who prefer a well-designed game with dated graphics than a shallow light show with the latest technology. The long-term success of this game brought home the lesson that hard work does pay.
There’s no way Dweep would have been able to hold out this long if I had taken the easy way out during the design phase. I dug for gold two miles deep, so it was much harder for anyone else to unseat the game from its position in the market. In order to do that, they’d have to outdig me, and very few people are willing to do that because creative game design is excruciatingly difficult. Everyone says they have a cool game idea, but to actually turn it into something workable, fun, and innovative is very hard work. When I look at other games that are successful over a period of 5+ years, I consistently see a willingness to take on hard work that others aren’t willing to tackle. And yet today the market is even more overcrowded with cloned drivel than when I started.
Strong challenge is commonly connected with strong results. Sure you can get lucky every once in a while and find an easy path to success. But will you be able to maintain that success, or is it just a fluke? Will you be able to repeat it? Once other people learn how you did it, will you find yourself overloaded with competition?
When you discipline yourself to do what is hard, you gain access to a realm of results that are denied everyone else. The willingness to do what is difficult is like having a key to a special private treasure room.
The nice thing about hard work is that it’s universal. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in — hard work can be used to achieve positive long-term results regardless of the specifics.
I’m using this same philosophy in building this personal development business. I do a lot of things that are hard. I try to address topics that other people don’t and bypass the low hanging fruit. I strive to explore topics deeply and search for the gold. I do lots of reading and research. I write lengthy articles and give my best ideas away for free, so I’m constantly forced to better my best. I launched this business in October of last year and have been working on it full time for essentially no pay.
Meanwhile I’m working hard in Toastmasters to build my speaking skills (my one-year anniversary was June 2nd). I belong to two different clubs and attend 6-7 meetings per month. I became a club officer about a month after joining, and I was just elected to a second officer position. I’ve given many speeches, all of them for free. I’ve competed in every speech contest since I’ve joined. If I had put all this time into my games business, I’d have a lot more money right now. It’s a lot of hard work, and I’ve probably got at least another year of training before I’m ready to go pro. But I’m willing to pay the price whatever it takes. I’m not going to take the easy path to a shallow position where I will only come crashing back down again. I won’t get up on a stage and spout a bunch of fluffy self-help sound bites that still garner applause and a paycheck but which don’t ultimately help anyone. If it takes years, it takes years.
I’m taking the same approach to writing my book. It’s a lot of hard work. But I want this to be the kind of book that people will still be reading 10 years from now. Writing a book like this is at least 10x harder than the kinds of books I see dominating the psychology section of bookstores today. But most of those books will be off the shelves in a year, and few people will even remember them.
Hard work pays off. When someone tells you otherwise, beware the sales pitch for something “fast and easy” that’s about to come next. The greater your capacity for hard work, the more rewards fall within your grasp. The deeper you can dig, the more treasure you can potentially find.
Being healthy is hard work. Finding and maintaining a successful relationship is hard work. Raising kids is hard work. Getting organized is hard work. Setting goals, making plans to achieve them, and staying on track is hard work. Even being happy is hard work (true happiness that comes from high self-esteem, not the fake kind that comes from denial and escapism).
Hard work goes hand-in-hand with acceptance. One of the things you must accept are those areas of your life that won’t succumb to anything less than hard work. Perhaps you’ve had no luck finding a fulfilling relationship. Maybe the only way it’s going to happen is if you accept you’re going to have to do what you’ve been avoiding. Perhaps you want to lose weight. Maybe it’s time to accept that the path to your goal requires disciplined diet and exercise (both hard work). Perhaps you want to increase your income. Maybe you should accept that the only way it will happen is with a lot of hard work.
Your life will reach a whole new level when you stop avoiding and fearing hard work and simply surrender to it. Make it your ally instead of your enemy. It’s a potent tool to have on your side.
If you want to read another perspective on hard work, here’s an older post about it:
Hard Work
This post is part four of a six-part series on self-discipline: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6
June 8th, 2005 at 4:54 am
I signed up for the “Personal Development Insights – Free Newsletter” several months ago, but as yet I have received nothing. Do I need to sign up again?
June 8th, 2005 at 6:41 am
Another interesting post. The idea that I would actively seek something that I knew would be hard work has never really crossed my mind. I always go for things I feel will perhaps make a difference but are easily achievable. Nice alternative view.
June 8th, 2005 at 6:48 am
Your talk about making a game brought up an interesting point in my mind.
Many people play games, especially logic games like your own Dweep, because they want a challenge.
By your definition hard work is something that challenges you. So playing games is now work?
I think that one of the things (that you brought up in earlier articles) is that you mentally cast a negative light on things that you feel you have to do because they are “work”. Where as something that is equally challenging, but optional you consider fun.
Perhaps trying to change your perspective on what exactly is work and what is fun will make you believe that some things that you originally thought as of ‘hard work’ are now more enjoyable tasks?
June 8th, 2005 at 8:06 am
What can I say? Another great post. All I can add is personal anecdotes to help flesh out the “hard work” dilemma a little more. I’ve run across people who don’t work hard because they don’t feel it’s “appreciated”. They tried hard work, didn’t see any results and essentially gave up. I know of a couple of coworkers at an old company who deliberately don’t work as hard as they can because they say the company doesn’t appreciate them. And of course, we all know of the hardworking mom or dad, who isn’t appreciated by the sig other.
Sometimes working hard even fosters resentment in those around you. Coworkers get jealous. Wife/girlfriend/friends feel neglected. Other people work so hard that they stress themselves into an early grave (others around them see this and so avoid hard work to avoid the same fate). And sometimes you don’t achieve your goal the first time around.
Anyway, I promise that the point of this comment is not to rain on anyone’s parade.
The point is to flesh out the area a little more to show that other things come into play and to show that working hard towards a goal not only means hardwork in that area, but also hard work in the ramifications that may result. I don’t think a lot of people just aren’t prepared to deal with these.
June 8th, 2005 at 8:51 am
I have been reading your section on self-discipline, and it strikes me that it is not an unalloyed virtue; it can go to too much of an extreme.
How about the people who are so self-disciplined that they cannot rest? I know a few people like this, and their lives don’t seem happy at all. Instead, they spend their time being angry and upset at the less disciplined people around them. The way they lash out against employees and partners is a truly horrifying thing to see, even when you’re not its object.
I like to think I’m somewhere in the middle – I will balance my day, working and taking frequent breaks to read the news and my favorite blogs. I’m not as efficient as someone who’s as self-disciplined as some of those around me, but I’m not going to have a heart attack at 45, either.
It would be a good idea for me to lose weight, but at the same time, I don’t want to become a snarling automaton, slave to my task lists. I know my girlfriend would love it if I lost weight, and since I love her I want to do it. At the same time, I don’t think she’d love me if I became one of the ultra-disciplined, obsessively counting calories and snarling at her if she as much as looked at food that actually tasted good. There has to be a balance somewhere.
I’d appreciate your thoughts.
D
June 8th, 2005 at 10:35 am
David,
Just a few thoughts. Hard work does not necessarily mean you are going to die early. It might if you never rest or if you bring anxiety and stress to the hard work. But it is not necessary to do so. Also, being disciplined about what you eat does not mean you are automatically going to be snarly towards other people that don’t eat like you. Just be discplined and don’t do that. Not that its easy.
June 8th, 2005 at 10:37 am
@Scott: I wouldn’t say that playing logic puzzle games is work in the sense of a new career, but some games can certainly be considered “hard work” in the sense that they’re mentally challenging. Some people take more than an hour to solve a single level in such games (especially the hard levels). It’s similar to playing chess. If you play your best, then I think it’s valid to label the effort hard work. The payoff for completing a mental challenge is a feeling of accomplishment as well as a sharpening of thinking skills. I remember reading a study a while back that suggested seniors were far more likely to remain mentally sharp as they aged if they kept their mind challenged with puzzles, logic games, etc.
@Crimson: I agree that some companies don’t appreciate hard work. That’s a management mistake because intelligent hard workers will flee those companies and go where their talents are appreciated, or they’ll go to work for themselves. As a general rule, undisciplined people prefer work under a socialistic-type work environment, so their laziness isn’t punished. But disciplined people prefer to work in a capitalistic environment, so their rewards will be based on their efforts.
@David: People who cannot rest are not disciplined enough. They don’t know when to stop and become addicted to activity. Self-discipline leads to intelligent balance, not type-A behavior. That’s why the first pillar of self-discipline is acceptance of reality, which you could also call “intelligence.” Type-As live in denial of reality — they fail to accept the consequences of overworking themselves, and they’re often unhappy about it. Don’t confuse personal discipline with hard-nosed, obsessive inflexibility. If a truly disciplined person found him/herself in a prolonged state of frustration or anger, s/he would know it’s time to take a break and sharpen the saw. Taking time to slow down often requires great discipline, especially in the face of external pressure.
June 8th, 2005 at 10:59 am
Steve, one of the conditions for having good self-discipline si being healthy and energetic.
If you are unhealthy and have a low energy level, then everything will seem 10x harder, and you will just give up.
People with low energy can gain self-discipline too. There was an entrepreneur who worked on his next company while being able to stay awake only 3-4 hours because of hepatitis C and while awaiting a liver transplant. He started the company while having extremely low energy because of the disease, and developed it after his liver transplant. So, it’s possible.
But if a person with low energy manages to solve his or her health and energy problems and become energetic, then everything will seem A LOT easier.
For me, activities which make me more energetic in the long term are sports and meditation (a non-religious form of meditation since I am an atheist).
June 8th, 2005 at 11:37 am
I think I had the same fears as David. Where I’d worry about becoming “too self-disciplined” and go through my day like a hardened emotionless drill sergeant.
Here is my current understanding regarding self-discipline. And I’m open to any thoughts and critiques anyone may have.
I’m now realizing, with the help of Steve of course, that self-discipline is really just a tool. It isn’t good or bad, in and of itself, but just a way of getting things done and making things happen in your life. And like any tool, it can be used masterfully or foolishly.
Used correctly, self-discipline helps you to feel like you are flying through your day, riding on rails so-to-speak, like like a well-oiled, goal-seeking machine. But used incorrectly or unintelligently, you feel like a mindless drone running on a treadmill, working hard for someone elses goals or goals that you think you should want, but don’t really care about. So in order to go from novice to mastery, self-discipline takes practice. A person should try out and see which applications of self-discipline feel empowering and which feels disabling.
In addition, if self-discipline is a tool, then it can also be over-used.
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail.”
–paraphrased from Gerald Weinberg
So to balance out your use of self-discipline, I think intuition can be seen as a tool as well. It isn’t just an excuse for laziness, but it isn’t the holy grail I once thought it was either.
I mean, a lot of times “going with the flow” (personally, I think “working with the flow” is a better way to say it) is the optimal method to reach your goals. Sometimes following your hunches and gut feelings can save you a lot of time and effort and can reveal solutions to problems you never even considered before.
But of course, like self-discipline, you can foolishly use your intuition as well, by wasting precious time and effort trying to find the meaning in the smallest of coincedences. And intuition can be over-used too, by sitting around waiting for “the flow” to take you where you want to go, rather than doing the necessary leg-work yourself. It’s like waiting around for hours and hours for the right bus to arrive, when you could simply get off your butt and walk the half-mile yourself to your destination.
June 8th, 2005 at 1:50 pm
Very good post! I don’t think enough gets said positively about hard work. It is such a key element to succeed. I remember your earlier spiel about throwing 1000 hours of work at a problem, and this is like that. Hard works lets you breakthrough. Enjoying this series…
June 8th, 2005 at 3:45 pm
@Eric: I mentioned in a previous blog post that the first issue of the newsletter will go out this summer. I wanted to build a decent subscriber base first. I’m sorry for the confusion — rest assured you haven’t missed anything.
June 8th, 2005 at 3:47 pm
@Jethro: Very accurate… self-discipline is one tool among many. For some problems it’s a mighty fine tool; for others it’s no good at all.
June 8th, 2005 at 6:19 pm
Give Me A Break: How to Recharge Your Creativity and Effectiveness
Go find your right foot and you’ll improve your effectiveness.
June 8th, 2005 at 11:26 pm
Hey steve.
I have a few questions:
1- I know a lot of people who run successful businesses on the internet. but a time came when they were getting a LOT of emails all the time from potential customers, etc. But instead of working hard, staying at the computer 24/7 answering emails, they installed an autoresponder. Now they go out, have fun, and yet make more money than they used to when they were answering all email personally.
2- A friend of mine has been working as a consultant. One day he realized that all of his clients wanted the same thing, with a few small changes. To be specific, they all wanted an Internet Explorer toolbar. So what he did was to build one main internet explorer toolbar, and whenever he met a client who wanted a toolbar of that kind, he would offer him a copy the toolbar he already had. if the client wanted any changes, he would make them in less than an hour and sell it to the client, while his competitors were writing the same toolbar again and again for each client (working hard). Now he only works a few hours a day, and makes a lot more money than the competitors who work all day long.
Whats your opinion about those things? or am I missing something?
P.S you need to give me some specific examples of how you did the market surveying for DWEEP. I’m a consultant planning to get into shareware development, but i just don’t have a clue about how to do things like market research, doing SWOT analyses, etc. If you can give me some specific examples of how you did it for your product, i’m sure i can get the idea
cheers.
Ali.
June 9th, 2005 at 12:18 am
There are some people who have been disappointed by hard work. I used to be one of them. My father told me that if I learned a lot in college, I will get a good job, and all would be well.
Well, I learned very hard in college. I learned so hard, that I didn’t have time to look around me and see what the job prospects are.
I graduated with honors… and then discovered that in my chosen field (which I discussed with my father before going to college) very few jobs are available, and most of them are very low pay, lots of work jobs, and with little chance of advancement.
Please note that I’m not in the USA – in USA the economy works better. In my country the economy is so and so.. and in my chosen field, things absolutely suck, I can’t get at a decent job.
So I had a HUGE disappointment. I busted my butt for 4 years in college, and it was all for nothing. For years after that I couldn’t work hard or set goals for myself because of the HUGE disappointment.
I’m writing you this because I know that some people around me have had similar experiences – maybe not with college, but with a job, with a spouse, with starting a business, etc.
Now, avoiding hard work and not setting goals is NOT normal. At least, it’s not normal for the kind of person I tried to be.
So, I struggled for years to wash off my disappointment, and to be able to work hard and set goals again. I am happy to report that I have succeeded.
How did I succeed?
1. One of the main factors is the fact that I read the “First Things First” book by Covey. I have read the book over a 6 months period. I used to read a little, and then think a lot about what I read. Now, in my opinion it is a BAD book, but is does have a very useful point: it keeps hammering in your head the fact that you must think and find out what is important to you personally.
After this 6 month of hard thinking experience I was changed. Finding out what was important to me was NOT easy, but it helped to improve my motivation a lot.
2. I started enjoying myself more, going to movies, parties, walks, etc. This washed away some of the stress.
3. Also, I started setting small and easy goals – goals for a week, etc. Achieving these easy goals helped me feel good about myself. So after a few months of this I had a general feeling of power.
4. I started being realistic about what I can accomplish and what I can’t accomplish. When writing my goals, I started to estimate how long each TO DO item would take, and discovered that what I thought could be accomplished in a week, in fact could take 1 month. After practicing this for about 1 month, I learned to set myself realistic goals which I could accomplish in the allocated time. This also changed my opinion on myself – instead of failing to accomplish my goals every week, I started succeeding.
So, my point is that if you want to cure disappointment states, you can, but it’s not instant – it took me about 2 years to get back to my former self. I think that because of this experience I’m a lot wiser than I was before it.
June 9th, 2005 at 10:22 am
@Ali: Hard work doesn’t mean mindlessly plowing through labor-intensive work that could be intelligently automated or eliminated. Automating gruntwork frees time for bigger, more meaningful challenges.
If you want more specifics on shareware marketing, check out my articles section at Dexterity.com. There’s an article on market research there, among other topics covered.
June 10th, 2005 at 2:55 am
Hi Steve,
Excellent article. Agree that hard work pays off. Would like to add the thought that sometimes we do face disappointments, but it we stay focused we will met with success. Patience also plays a big role…sometimes people want success overnight, it takes time. An example of this is our website, for years (and I mean years) we worked on our website, but it was a passion, and now the website is supporting itself. But if I had given up or lost focus it would not be where it is today.
Keep up the good work!!
Catherine
Words of Wisdom 4 U!