the hardest worker

TL;DR : I discuss five aspects of hard work, and bring them into context

It was my birthday last week and I received a beautiful text msg from a friend.

A wonderful smile creeps over my face as I reread it over and over. It has me wondering… what makes a hard worker?

I think the perception of hard work sits differently for each person, but I have listed five things that I consider elements of a hard worker

Pushing for Progress

Knowing in yourself that you are giving it your best. It could be a strenuous workout or going the extra step to finish that assignment. Continuing to push for progress though, I want to stress that it doesn’t mean pushing the limit! You must know where that line sits and where it turns detrimental to your well-being.

in example // the workouts I do after busy workdays, sometimes run the risk of becoming a casual affair, I need to ask myself did I commit to it? Did I actually hit my aimed RPE? Did I push myself enough? Am I proud of my effort? – if no, then make a note, go harder

Persevering through discomfort

Hard work can also be uncomfortable and I find that as soon as the going gets tough I am historically not tough enough to get going – honestly I lose all drive!

And that’s the big lesson for me in 2023 to push through that and know that while I don’t feel great I need to go through the motions.

in example // The calorie deficit I am now into from week one, was hard work to adjust, I am slowly building my tolerance to the previously overwhelming hunger signals that I endure. And aim to still be friendly and approachable. Note: I am not starving myself I still eat Alot of food, my body just wants more!

Preparedness

Make the time to plan ahead – and that’s a big emphasis on “MAKE”. If you don’t know what you are working towards you could be a silly duck; with little to no movement on the surface while the legs are kicking furiously.

A plan outlines the steps you need to complete and why you are doing it; Without one, you run the potential to just come to a STOP.

in example // squeezing in time to track my food on apps; Admittedly I am always on my feet walking between classrooms and buildings – which is just enough time to log an apple, jot down a couple of notes. I know what I am going to eat, I know what I am going to train.

Persistence

“Persistent is carrying on a task even in spite of difficulties. Consistent, on the other hand, is regular and unchanging.”

Not only do you turn up each day; you must pivot with change, navigate through barriers and overcome pushback. Life is full of its bumps, sometimes we fall off the bandwagon, it’s important to find ways to adjust to them and continue working towards your goals.

in example // In my some days… or most days nothing goes exactly as planned and it can throw me. I always aim to be in the gym at 4:15pm every word day but through no fault of my own that can slide all the way up to 6:30pm and that can throw me off. So for me it is a case of seeing what I can do to change that, but above all persist with the plan and show up when I can.

Pursue the storm

This is by far one of my worst best habits, I automatically steer towards the hard conversation or into the hard things I would prefer to just avoid.

Every time I hear my internal voice say “ohhhh no, not today” I steer myself towards it, and an invisible force pulls me in. It’s the “worst” because it’s never really fun to do and it’s the “best” because when it’s don’t, I don’t have any dread lingering in my headspace.

While this value leans itself, in my mind, more towards initiating difficult conversations, and being transparent when it’s easier to cover up, my examples have been fitness related. Programming in exercises that I am not good at or despise.

And while we all have probably read these core values before, I invite you to rewrite them and change them for yourself. The mere act of bringing these into context for yourself helps you to truly align.

// Templates

I created a table to contextualise the values for myself. I find that bringing these thoughts onto paper really helps me to apply them to my day to day.

The below example targets my health and fitness; looking at each value down the first column with the second noting the actions I take to align to the value while the last column outlines signs that I am moving away from it.

AligningToValues_example Download

The example is my own personal notes to align with my week 1 direction, I keep a physical copy in my gym bag to re-read and re-align periodically. I do want to stress it is not a recommendation – so do take the time to think about your own personal needs and actions. There are two templates you can download.

Empty Template // Has the same headings as above, but the “signs” columns are blank

Blank Template // Is a blank page allowing you to add your own values

Change log

Date	Changes
2023-06-13	I updated the text message image (hand drawn) and created a CSS class for how my side notes are displayed (Grey box). Updating this post was also part of defining a style guide and adding a change log was included.

2023, Emotions