Truth and Lies of Hard Work

There is a lot of truth in working hard, deep lessons that can change our lives.

We learn about work by working. We can do a great deal of intellectual analysis about work without gaining understanding.

Working teaches us how to work well with other people. Work teaches us how to face, and overcome, challenges. We learn about persistence and creativity from work. We often get our first taste of risks and rewards at work.

Hard work makes us stronger. As we work we develop our abilities, helping us work better as we continue.

Work shows us insight into ourselves. We learn how we work best. Work experience shapes our perspective on what we want to do next. Each part of our working lives prepares us for the next part.

Not everything we think we learn from work is a deep truth. Work can also deceive us.

We understand work as something we can control. People who do good work are organized; people who are not organized are not working well. Good workers are efficient and effective.

We believe that working well is working hard, applying ourselves. People tell us that all we need to do is pay attention and make an effort. We will, eventually, do a good job.

Some of the most important lessons I have learned from work were that what I though I knew was wrong. Work had lied to me. I was already paying attention. My work was beyond my control.

Work is more than one of the settings for the story of our lives. Work is a character who teaches us what we need, and need to discard, on our journeys.

What deep truths have you gained from work?

How have you been deceived by work? What lies has work told you?

[Image by KAZ2.0]