“Hard work” is a thought-terminating cliche.
Thought-terminating cliche is some common saying, that is used to simplify the subject and avoid further considerations. You’d expect a thought-terminating cliche to occur when the reflections on the subject exceed someone’s aptitude in the matter. You can definitely expect a thought-terminating cliche when there is cognitive dissonance (if not worse!).
“Hard work” is a thought-terminating cliche.
The cognitive dissonance is between the reality of success – and what you (like to) think of success.
You love the hard work narrative.
You love it on so many levels.
If you are successful — you love to attribute this success to your personal virtues. Your grit, your hard work – all the rest of it.
And if you are dreaming of success — you love the idea of it being within the scope of anyone’s (yours!) ability – you only have to “want it bad enough” and “work hard”.
Both of these are simply instances of wishful thinking.
Even more then you love these two ideas, however — you love the idea of knowing. You love the comfort of having your cosy, comfortable, comforting, agreeable, OWN version of reality.
The truth is – you have no clue how to succeed.
The truth is – you don’t even know what success is. One moment you seek it – another moment you caught it – and the very next moment you snoop for it in someplace else now.
The truth is – you don’t even know what you want. You like to think you want this or that – but you don’t even know it. Nor do you know what is “good” for you.
Hard work is such a lovely excuse because “you can always work harder!” “You could always want it more!”
And it’s so pleasant to think about – you are the HARD WORKER. You are the one who got everything himself, with his own hands, through his own HARD WORK…! It is truly the ultimate AFFIRMATION OF THE EGO, the EGO which is completely separate, completely self-reliable, completely independent, it’s own very CAUSE and EFFECT. Not the result of it’s surroundings, not the result of it’s upbringing, not the result of anything outside but it’s OWN result, the very SELF-MADE SELF.
The self has to be self-made.
The EGO has to be self-made.
If it’s not self-made — then it doesn’t belong to you. If it’s not self-made, if it’s made by someone else — then it’s not you, it must be someone else! If it’s not self-made, if you didn’t control it – then it’s not you.
But you don’t control it. Because there is no self. What you call the self is indeed NOT made by you – it belongs to the world and is just a bunch of information, around some undistinguished organic tissue.
But the self loves the illusion of the self. The self thinks it’s self-made. It thinks it’s self-made, and it’s made through “hard work”.
But “hard work” is a thought-terminating cliche.
It means nothing.
There is only THE work – i.e. the work that needs to be done (“X” work required to get “Y” result).
It is not “hard” – it is simply work (It is simply “X”).
“Hard” can only be your experience of it — you experiencing effort – but NOT on a psychological level – on a physical (or cognitive).
And nothing about work being hard implies anything about the results. The only relation between action and effect IS ACTION AND EFFECT. I.e. you take action “X” – and get result “Y”.
(Oftentimes you don’t even know that relation. You just ACT and GET something. No clear causation.)
The work being “hard” only means that the action you took was accompanied by a certain (”hard”, “effortful) experience you had of it.
It does not mean you are special. Neither are your results.
“Hard work” is a thought terminating cliche.
It conceals your lack of understanding of reality.
If you don’t know something – admit it. Wisdom is knowing what one knows and not knowing what one doesn’t know. (Wisdom is not pretending one knows).
Ultimately there’s extremely little to know about this world – and a whole lot to cease knowing.
Please know that hard work is no magic bullet. Please know that you only created the notion of hard work to quell your cognitive dissonances, and to comfort yourself in the darkness.
As a consolation – since hard work is not the secret – I can tell you is that there is no secret. And there is no meaning. And there is nothing to achieve. You don’t need the hard work. Or any work, on that matter. Just cherish this life, one day at a time.