Hard Work – Or Heart Work?

“Nothing worth having comes easy.” “Hard work does not guarantee success but no success is possible without hard work.” “All roads that lead to success have to pass through Hard Work Boulevard at some point.” “There is no substitute for hard work” (Thomas Edison).

These are just a handful of hundreds of salient quotations about the necessity of hard work for achieving meaningful goals and objectives. They apply to any endeavor, whether it’s gaining a useful education, forging a rewarding career, mastering a musical instrument, honing skills in a specific craft or hobby, building a family, excelling in athletic pursuits, writing a book, or even losing weight. The easy way, on the other hand, is usually the surest path to failure.

As Proverbs 6:10-11 points out, "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man." Another verse, Proverbs 14:23, adds, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

But sometimes, hard work frankly isn’t worth it. For instance, for people lacking certain innate skills, no matter how hard they work, it’s unlikely they’ll approach success. For instance, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), my singing skills would probably rate a .5, so I’m not going to exert any effort trying to become vocal soloist with the local symphony. My mechanical aptitude isn’t much better, so I have no intention of trying to refurbish an old car or build a house – or even a birdhouse – any time soon.

However, writing has been my passion for as long as I can remember. In fact, even though I’ve spent countless hours doing it and believe time and practice have helped to hone my literary skills, it’s more “heart work” than hard work. As someone once said – and many have repeated – if you love your work, you’ll never really work another day in your life.

That doesn’t mean if you’re not passionate something, like about cutting grass, washing the dishes or taking out the trash, you’re excused from doing it when necessary. Daily chores and some assignments in the workplace have to be done even if we don’t love having to do them. But heart work definitely makes hard work easier. So given that we all are limited to 24 hours a day and seven days in a week, doesn’t it make sense to devote much of that time to pursuits we’re passionate about, ones we also happen to be skilled or gifted at doing?

And when that passion is linked to a sense of calling or mission, we won’t find it necessary to pick ourselves up by the scruff of the neck to get going. As author and motivational speaker Steve Pavlina wrote, “When you live for a strong purpose, then hard work isn’t an option. It’s a necessity.”

For followers of Jesus Christ, our passion for Him – and His love for us – should provide more than enough motivation to be involved somehow in the work of His eternal kingdom. The apostle Paul wrote unapologetically, “if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died…. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:13-20).

Without question, fulfilling the calling God had given Paul was hard work, agonizingly so. He encountered great adversity, persecution, physical hardship, imprisonment, and moments when he was at the brink of death. But having become convinced that nothing could ever separate any of God’s children from His divine love (Romans 8:38-39), Paul’s heart work enabled him to endure the hard work.

What’s your heart work, that thing (or those things) capable of turning the necessary hard work into a pleasure and a privilege, rather than a bother and a burden?

The Gift of Sleep

The young live with the delusion that they know everything. Especially in the teen years. I remember it well: Suddenly you think you’re in the possession of the world’s greatest knowledge. But as we get older, and hopefully grow wiser, it becomes obvious we don’t know nearly as much as we thought.

We don’t even have to wait until our teen years to become established know-it-alls. I recall a time when I was in Maryland visiting with an aunt, uncle and cousin. It seems I was about 10 years old. For whatever reason I declared, “It’s too bad we have to sleep. If we could stay awake all the time, we could do so many more things.”

My uncle, probably in his 40s at the time, burst into laughter. “Never go to sleep? Are you kidding?” Decades later I understand why he saw the humor in my brash statement. Yes, on average we spend about one-third of our lives with eyes shut and minds in neutral, but that’s a gift. An absolute, necessary, priceless gift.

For frazzled parents, sometimes the most beautiful
sight can be a sleeping child.

For parents, sleep is beneficial not only for themselves but also for giving them a much-needed respite from their precious, but demanding, energy-sapping offspring. Many evenings, between 8 and 9, a collective sigh of relief escapes as little ones around the globe close their eyes, drift into Dreamland, and Mom and Dad shift their mental gears from high alert.

At different stages of life we may choose to limit sleep, whether we’re in college cramming the night before an important exam, putting in extra hours to meet an important deadline at work, or trying to complete necessary chores at home that have been neglected for too long.

But eventually, sleep does – and must – come. And most of the time, to borrow the famous phrase of the legendary TV icon Speedy Alka-Seltzer, “Oh, what a relief it is!” Just as our smartphones, tablets and laptop computers need recharging, so do our minds and bodies, especially after periods of high stress. Sleep is how we do it.

Not surprisingly, the Bible has lots to say about sleep – its use, and abuse. At times, whether we’re fretting over unpaid bills, a family crisis, or challenges at work, sleep doesn’t come easily. Our minds keep spinning, seeking desperately to find solutions.

Sometimes sleeplessness is necessary, even helpful. We might awaken in the middle of the night, the proverbial idea-lightbulb glowing with a solution. But often God is telling us not to worry and agonize over our pressures and problems. Instead, He says, get some sleep and things will be easier to deal with in the morning.

“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalm 127:2). Much of the time, when we feel at wit’s end, the Lord is telling us, “Chill out. Get some sleep. I’ve got this.”

We read about the stressed-out prophet Elijah, who successfully confronted false prophets, saw God perform miraculous acts, and accurately predicted the end to a 3½-year drought. But when he heard the evil queen Jezebel had demanded that he be killed, Elijah fled, emotionally, physically and spiritually spent.

“’I have had enough, Lord,’ Elijah said. ‘Take my life. I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep…. All at once an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’… He ate and drank and then lay down again” (1 Kings 19:4-6). Rather than chastising the courageous man of God, the Lord prescribed food – and sleep – to enable him to re-energize for further service.

Often in response to a crisis we want to shout, “Do something! Anything! Just do something!” But sometimes the best something to do is get some sleep, even a quick “power nap” to help clear the cobwebs from our overtaxed minds.

At the same time the Bible offers another perspective. It says sleep is beneficial, but not to excess. “Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare” (Proverbs 20:13). “I went past the field of the sluggard… the man who lacks judgment…. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man” (Proverbs 24:30-34).

So the principle of moderation applies: You sleep, you reap. But you snooze, you lose.

Truth About ‘Overnight Success’

The beautifully painted ceiling is a jaw-dropping feature of this palace in Wurzburg, Germany, the result of many years of proud and diligent craftsmanship.

Have you ever met a true overnight success? Someone who was an absolute nobody doing absolutely nothing one day, then the talk of the town – in a good way – the next? I haven’t. The transition from “who’s he” to “Who’s Who” can happen overnight, but in reality the process of reaching that point takes years.

Unfortunately, it seems many people don’t understand that. I had a friend who used to say, “I love work – I can spend all day watching other people do it!” That’s the perspective some folks share these days: “I want success, and everything that comes with it – but not if I have to work for it.”

We hear talk about how we’ve “evolved” as a society. We’ve definitely made strides in some areas, including race relations, gender equality, and appreciation for different cultures. But in other areas, I’m afraid we’ve “de-volved.”

Work ethic, for instance. German sociologist Max Weber coined the term “Protestant work ethic” in the early 1900s. However, for many centuries the virtues of hard work, frugality and diligence have been central to the Christian faith, as well as some other belief systems. Working well and working hard can reflect one’s desire to honor God and serve others, part of our human calling.

But one needn’t be Protestant – or even a person of faith – to find worth in hard work. Inventor Thomas Edison stated, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” And poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Without ambition one starts nothing; without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.”

In today’s fast-food, microwave, “gotta have it now” world, fewer and fewer people seem willing to expend the effort necessary to succeed. They ask for silver platters, expecting to have everything handed to them. Where’s the fun, the fulfillment in that?

Writer and speaker Bill Hendricks reminded me of this when he observed: “Success is not an Egg McMuffin, delivered to us for a $3, three-minute investment. No, success is the Sistine Chapel – it takes years, pain, frustration, thousands of brushes, colors and crumpled up sketches before you have your masterpiece.”

My late uncle, Joe Tamasy, stands beside
an exquisite work of porcelain in Herend,
Hungary featuring the image of the
Hungarian Parliament.

Years ago during my first trip to Europe I marveled at glorious, exquisitely conceived and painstakingly created cathedrals, houses of government and palaces in Hungary, Austria and Germany. These structures all were centuries old, their longevity attributable to the many years required to construct them. Because they weren’t erected hastily and haphazardly, they stand today as living memorials to the blood, sweat and tears spilled to bring them to reality.

The pace of life today, of course, is faster. We feel pulled in multiple directions. As a result, many of us seek maximum returns with minimum investments. We find “get rich quick” enticing. We want “overnight success,” whether at work or at home, in our relationships or personal pursuits. If it requires time, initiative and energy, forget it.

This is sad, because much of the joy is in the journey, not just the destination. Having a dream, formulating plans and goals for realizing it, then investing whatever it takes to achieve it – that’s where you can find the joy.

Whether it’s the virtuoso musician, accomplished innovator, gifted speaker, acclaimed surgeon, or master craftsman, none of them achieved success overnight in their fields of endeavor. It took many years of study, practice, honing of skills, trial and error, risk taking and sacrifice making.

Maybe that’s why some young celebrities find notoriety quickly eclipsing their fame. Thrust into the spotlight too early, still green as performers, they don’t appreciate what it takes not only to attain success – but also to sustain it over the long term.

My favorite book, the Bible, speaks a lot about hard work and personal enterprise. The book of Proverbs itself serves as an excellent primer on the topic.

For example, “The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied” (Proverbs 13:4). It also warns against all talk and no action: “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23).

Another passage paints a vivid picture: “I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man” (Proverbs 24:30-34).

We’re living in an age of “entitlement,” when some segments of society view the poor and disadvantaged with pity, convinced their problems can be solved with handouts. What they really need, however, is a hand up – being offered the education, training and practical skills necessary for succeeding in the workplace.

At the same time, we need to re-embrace the virtues of hard work, the belief that determination, commitment and initiative will reap rewards as we persevere toward hopes and aspirations. It may take years, but if willing to work hard, anyone is entitled to become an “overnight success.

Life on 30-Minute – or 30-Day – Delay?

Someone once suggested a test to determine whether I’m a procrastinator, but I never got around to taking it. As someone has wisely said, why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right?

Actually, procrastinator sounds like something you should get paid for, so I suspect most of us are really amateur-crastinators. But that doesn’t mean we’re not good at it.

Procrastination is practically required to write professionally. Without much effort, we can dream up a limitless variety of excuses for not diving into the demanding, all-consuming task of writing: Getting just one more cup of coffee. Emptying the dishwasher (if you have a home office). Reading the morning newspaper, or visiting favorite websites. Calling a friend you haven’t talked with in months. Changing a light bulb. The list goes on.

Author Philip Yancey summed up the writer’s perspective: “I hate to write…but I love to have written!” I can relate – been there, done that.

But procrastination isn’t exclusive to wordsmiths. Everyone does it: Putting off paying the bills; delaying necessary home repairs; not sending that letter or making that phone call; choosing an hour of TV over finishing a class assignment. In fact, I thought about writing this post some time ago – I’m just now getting around to it.

Live broadcasts on TV and radio usually have five to seven-second delays to avoid objectionable material. Sometimes it seems we operate our lives on a 30-minute, or even 30-day delay. “I’ll do it – in just a few minutes!” Anything to avoid the inevitable.

Sometimes procrastination is justified – trying to forestall the unpleasant or undesirable as long as possible. But often procrastination is just a sophisticated synonym for laziness. And laziness can be costly, in more ways than one.

Proverbs 10:5 observes, “He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.” Whether as part of a family or a staff at work, we’re usually members of a team. And the team’s success depends on contributions of every member. When we procrastinate, not doing our part, everyone suffers.

The road to failure is often paved with good intentions. Procrastination can consist of an abundance of talking about what we intend to do, accompanied by grandiose dreams about our desired outcome. But mere talk without action can sound the death knell for our plans. As Proverbs 14:23 states, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

Procrastination can also squander unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that come our way. We might receive multiple chances to pursue our hopes and dreams, but sometimes opportunity knocks but once. If we’re not prompt in answering the door, it might depart, never to return. As Proverbs 24:33-34 warns, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come to you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

With that in mind, could procrastination be considered a crime? Businessman Victor Kiam said, “Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.” And British poet Edward Young offered this view: “Procrastination is the thief of time.” If accused of procrastinating, could a jury of your peers convict you?

To be fair, there’s also a positive side to procrastination. It’s not always a bad thing, as writer Hilary Mantel has suggested: “Imagination only comes when you privilege the subconscious, when you make delay and procrastination work for you.” So, how can we discern between procrastination that’s bordering on the criminal, sapping our productivity, and procrastination that’s useful, preparing and positioning us for greater achievements in the future?

I’ll have to get back to you on that. Need to think about it. But I’ll let you know, real soon. I promise.