So many people love to brag about working so hard. They wear hard work and struggle like a badge of honor.

Fighting obstacles. Pushing through the problems. Wrestling the challenges into the ground.

And they feel that they deserve success because of all the trials and tribulations that they’ve overcome.

But here is the truth: hard work doesn’t work.

Working hard is not enough to get you to your dreams. And it’s certainly not enough to help you reach your dreams and feel like it was worth it.

Many successful teachers and authors talk about working hard, the hustle, and that it doesn’t happen over night.

But that’s step two in their equation for success. The first step they all preach is finding something you love to do.

Finding something you love and focusing on it until you’re blue in the face is a different kind of ‘hard’. It’s more a labor of love instead of hard labor.

There’s a difference between working hard and working smart.

In today’s video I want to talk about what working smart is and what it takes to make those big dreams happen.

(Please put on headphones if you have little ones around as this video contains adult language).

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ~Confucius

What works is finding something you love and doing it for the sake of doing it. Because it hones your craft. Because it enriches your life. Because it inspires you.

And to let the successes and accomplishments that follow be the cherry on top, not the main course.

Now I’d love to hear from you:

Do you agree with this perspective that hard work doesn’t work and alignment + focus is what working smart is all about? 

Please share this video with your friends and colleagues. Let’s have this discussion about what it truly takes to achieve something worth-while. And how to enjoy the whole journey, not just the destination.

p.s. And help you leave stress and struggle in 2015, I’m doing a 10-day Ease Challenge! Let’s put the ‘Happy’ back into ‘Happy Holidays’ (and your life). Sign up here!