Are You Working Hard for the Right Reasons?

“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 NKJV

Intent drives our actions. Sometimes we may have good intentions and then act accordingly. The effect of those actions can be positive or negative because multiple factors are always involved.

This is why sometimes acting solely from the good intentions of your heart isn’t always ideal. It is however a good place to start. You may choose to work very hard because your intentions are good, but when you dig deeper, you’d often realize what you true driving force is.

Why Do You Work So Hard?

Work is part of our very existence. But the intensity at which we work is usually influenced.

We’re either running from something (fear) or running towards something (faith).

My addiction to work started when I realised that not being able to predict your monthly income could cause a lot of thinking and headaches. I knew that when my dad sat alone silently, he was praying and trying to figure out where our school fees would come from.

So early on when I started my career as a freelancer, I ensured I had recurring revenue through retainers from clients. When other freelancers would complain about famine cycles because of one-off projects, I hardly experienced such because I knew what I didn’t want – unpredictability.

The downside to running away from something is that once you feel you have been able to avoid that thing, complacency sets in.

In my case, even after transitioning into an agency model, it became harder to increase my income because on a subconscious level, I had successfully set up a predictable system, even though it was small. Increased income wasn’t the subconscious motive. Error!

Others run towards something. This is when you’re driven by a vision you want to achieve.

It’s always better to be driven by what the future could be (faith) because if your vision is bigger than you, and you are passionate about how you want to get there, you won’t stop until you get it.

This still doesn’t stop you from getting addicted to the work.

So why do you work so hard?

Are you trying to avoid poverty or attract wealth?

Is your self-worth derived from your work or does work just make you more confident than you already are?

Are you avoiding an experience or creating a new one?

Fear and faith are very similar. You just have to mentally flip the switch so you become unstoppable.