Work smarter, not harder

We are societally programmed to believe that hard work leads to success. Yet what if there is another way? An easier, more comfortable way?

When it comes to achieving what you want to achieve, working harder is not the answer.

Do you feel that it is?

You’re not alone.

We are societally programmed to believe that hard work leads to success. Yet, what if there is another way? An easier, more comfortable way?

The alternative is not to work harder, but to work smarter, where working smarter means being authentically, energetically aligned* with whatever it is you’re wanting.

This does not come from hard work, but from the ability to listen to our intuition, which speaks of what we need and what we are truly ready for at any point in time.

* By energetic alignment, I mean: the peace and ease we feel when our thoughts, feelings and intentions compliment and work in conjunction with one another. When we are aligned, we are closest to our true nature. When we experience positive emotion, this is evidence of alignment. When we feel negative emotion, we are misaligned and in an energetic state of resistance, working against our true nature.

Hard work often comes from feelings of fear and thoughts about our own inadequacy

We fear we aren’t enough; we fear we are never going to get there, and so we push; slogging ourselves in an effort to overcome our anxieties. Running from something, nonetheless, will never make it go away. Be as productive as you like, but if you’re acting from a place of insecurity, the work will be energetically misaligned and breed further anxiety and dissatisfaction.

For your work to be smart work, the action needs to be inspired

This comes from truly knowing your intentions. Listen to your emotions, they are your guide. Why do you want what you want? Are you taking action through fear, or through genuine inspiration? Are you denying any natural instincts in the process?

It’s not about doing hard work, it’s about doing the right kind of work. (Quality over quantity.)

Hard work is pointless if you’re out of alignment. If you’re feeling uncertain, fearful, overwhelmed, desperate or bad in any way, it would be a more productive use of your time to meditate, or to have a cup of tea, watch a movie, have a nap, play a game or visit a friend. (Anything that eases resistance and lifts your mood.) Believe it or not, this will get you closer to what you want than hard work. Why? Because life is energy, where like attracts like, and happiness attracts success more than effort.

The bottom line?

Work less, and spend more time doing the things that light you up.

You may just find that as you let go, you’ll come into alignment with everything you ever wanted.

If you’re a high achiever, you will likely feel lazy and anxious about taking your foot off the peddle. It might feel like you’re giving up.

Trust the process

After years of hustling, I began to practice this for myself last year. Firsthand, I can attest that surrender opens doors. As I took my foot off the peddle, miraculously, opportunities came flooding in. Why? Because, rather than hustle for the things that I believed would make me more complete, I decided to be happy first – and happiness begets happiness!

‘If being hard on yourself worked, it would have worked by now.’

–Unknown

Be easy about your life, and follow your joy. Joy is the answer.