Fun Business Fun Money Podcast
EP 038 – Overcome the ‘dark side’ of hard work
Hard work and making money are usually lumped together in a negative way that puts them both on the ‘dark side’ of life and business.
In this Star Wars-themed quick tip episode we’re shining a light on how the belief that ‘you have to work hard for your money’ and ‘work smarter, not harder’ may be holding you back from achieving the very thing you’re working hard to create.
Also… Happy Star Wars Day, “May the Fourth be with you”! 😏😆
TRANSCRIPT
Hey there, and welcome to the Fun Business Fun Money podcast!
As you’d guess from the name, this podcast is about having more fun in your business, and of course making fun money with it. If you’re just tuning in for the first time, welcome!
And if you like to listen in the car like the fabulous Selena Jones, who is a professional decluttering coach from Ontario, Canada, that makes me your road trip buddy!
Which has nothing to do with today’s topic other than road trips are bloody fun with the right people, the right tunes (or podcasts) and the best destinations.
So buckle up, we’re taking a ride to a galaxy far, far away – yes, if you’re listening in real time, today is May 4th, STAR WARS DAY!
If you’re not familiar with Star Wars – firstly, who even ARE YOU?? And how can we hope to be friends if you don’t at least get where some of my corny references come from??
Like, there was a car parked down our street a few weeks back with the number plate TK421.
My son was with me at the time so at least I wasn’t talking to myself when I very excitedly yelled out “TK421, why aren’t you at your post!” And he got the reference immediately, which means I’ve done an excellent job of parenting and instilling pop culture references in every aspect of my boys’ lives lol!
Suffice to say my whole family are Star Wars fans and if you come to our house you’ll be greeted with a doormat that says “We have the droids you’re looking for.”
I promise theres a point to the Star Wars theme today!
If you know nothing else about Star Wars it should be that theres a dark side and a light side to the ‘force’, the mystical power that some have in greater quantities than others. They’re able to use the force for good or evil intent.
Of course we see this play out in our lives with money, there are countless beliefs about money that put it on the light or dark side. Most of the memorable ones are on the dark side…
😵💫 Money is the root of all evil
😵💫 Rich people are greedy awful people
😵💫 You have to work hard for your money
And thats the one I want to highlight today, because its not just about money, its about life.
This concept that we have to work hard to achieve success, to achieve anything, is actually holding us back.
Yes its true, it does take some hard work to achieve the things you want. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun, or that it has to be so hard that it sucks the life out of you.
The term ‘Hard work’ has somehow morphed into the idea that you have to be always working, always on, always pushing forward to the next goal, and the next. Theres no rest for the wicked, and all that!
Its also developed into the belief that working HARDER will get you the results you want.
What does that look like? Picture any corporate setting, employees at their desks putting in 60-70 hours per week as a standard thing, they go home exhausted and have no energy for the fun stuff they WANT to be doing.
They might get the promotion they’re after, with the salary and bonuses to go with it, but they’re also sacrificing the good stuff in life – like personal time, sleep, relaxation, exercise, relationships, travel, experiences and all the things their new salary can buy, because they have no time for that.
As for work smarter, not harder? Thats not exactly helpful either.
It implies that you lack something, that you have to learn something you don’t already know in order to achieve your goals. Be smarter with your habits, your time, your money, your energy.
But what if that is just adding to your stress because it feels too hard, theres too much to think about as you juggle everything in pursuit of being ‘smarter’?
All this talk of hard work might even be putting you off starting something new altogether! And that would be a real shame because you’ve got skills and talents that people need!
Is there a way you can get started on your project without it feeling hard, like you have to hustle, or like you’re a tiny rebel force searching for the weak spot on the massive Death Star?
I don’t have a magic solution for you here, my point is simply to spark your thinking about ‘hard work’.
Is this belief helping you or holding you back?
Is it on the light side of the force, pushing you forward in a way that feels good and aligned?
Or is it on the dark side of the force, shoving you out of bed on 4 hours sleep to hustle your butt off and sucking the life out of you?
In most cases its the dark side, which is the fast track to burn out. And thats a place NOBODY wants to be because it’ll literally stop you in your tracks with physical or mental health issues, relationship breakdowns and so much more.
So my big question for you today is what can you do to bring more balance to the force, aka your life, your business, your money?
🧡 Maybe you need boundaries around your time and energy, its ok to say no to things.
🧡 Maybe you need to increase your prices so you’re meeting your financial goals without overdelivering.
🧡 Maybe you need to take a serious look at your business activities and let go of the things that don’t add value, they’re not fun and they don’t bring in any money.
🧡 Maybe you need to go back and binge ALL of the episodes of your new favourite podcast, Fun Business Fun Money, because its good for your mindset!
Whatever it is, I’m cheering you on to take one small action towards more balance in the next 24 hours.
Thats what I’ve got for you today!
Quit focusing on work needing to be ‘hard’, the work is what it is, you can make it fun and enjoyable and sustainable for the long term, no burnt out or stress in sight.
Take care, have fun working in this galaxy AND the ones far far away, and I’ll catch you in the next episode!
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