#050 Productive Perspiration - The Unfashionable Secret to Extraordinary Success

You're at a dinner party, surrounded by the usual suspects. The conversation turns to work. "I work smart, not hard," says one. "Hustle culture is toxic," says another.

Welcome to 2024, where working hard has become as unfashionable as mullets and dial-up internet.

But here's the kicker - if you want to be an outlier in terms of success, this attitude is your golden ticket. Why? Because while everyone else is busy optimising their leisure time, you can be sprinting past them on the path to extraordinary achievement.

Let's break it down.

The Great Productivity Backlash

We live in the aftermath of the "rise and grind" era. Years of Instagram entrepreneurs preaching 80-hour workweeks and "sleep when you're dead" mantras have led to collective burnout. And let's face it, a lot of that hustle was performative nonsense.

Now society's pendulum has swung hard in the other direction. Now, it's all about the four-day workweek and "quiet quitting" to get ahead.

Don't get me wrong - these aren't inherently bad ideas. Mental health matters and nobody should be working themselves into an early grave - that's why I wrote Work Less, Live More. But here's where the crowd has ditched the diamond with the dirt.

The Outlier's Advantage

Outliers understand a fundamental truth - extraordinary success requires extraordinary effort.

It's not rocket science, but it is a principle that's become deeply unfashionable. And that's precisely why it's your secret weapon.

Here's why hard work is still the not-so-secret sauce of outlier success.

Compound Interest of Effort

Each extra hour you put in changes the trajectory of your path. In aviation, there is something called the 1 in 60 Rule - after 60 miles, a one-degree error in direction will result in straying off course by one mile. If you do the same as everyone else you'll end up at the same destination. Outliers turn degrees today into miles tomorrow.

The Gap is Widening

As more people just want to punch the clock, the gap between average and exceptional is growing. It's becoming easier to stand out simply by being willing to put in the hours.

Mastery Takes Time

Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-hour rule might not be a hard and fast law, but the principle still holds - mastery requires a significant time investment. There are no shortcuts.

Problem-Solving Muscle

Hard work isn't just about hours - it's about wrestling with difficult problems. The more you do this, the better you get at overcoming obstacles in all areas of life.

Network Effect

Those who are willing to go the extra mile tend to collide with other high achievers. Your network becomes a catalyst for even greater opportunities.

The Bottleneck Buster

Remember Hurley from our scout trip analogy? In the race for success, society's current attitude toward hard work is the Hurley slowing everyone down. But you? You're the scout leader with the brilliant idea to move Hurley to the front of the pack.

By embracing hard work in an era that shuns it, you're removing the biggest bottleneck to your progress. You're not just working harder; you're working smarter by zigging while others zag.

The Intelligent Grind

This isn't a call to return to toxic hustle culture. It's about intelligent, focused hard work. Here's how to approach it:

1. Identify Your Bottlenecks: What's holding you back? Is it a lack of skills, knowledge, or simply not enough focused time on your key objectives?
2. Inhale Strategically: Don't just work hard - work hard on the right things. Acquire the specific knowledge and skills that will move the needle.
3. Iterate Relentlessly: Hard work without reflection is just spinning your wheels. Constantly assess and adjust your approach.

In a world that increasingly celebrates mediocrity and "good enough," your willingness to put in extraordinary effort becomes your superpower. It's not about burnout or bragging rights - it's about the quiet satisfaction of knowing you're building something remarkable.

So the next time you're at a dinner party and everyone's competing to see who cares the least about their work, smile to yourself.

You know that while they're sleeping in, you'll be out there turning your dreams into reality, one unsexy, unfashionable hour of hard work at a time.

After all, extraordinary success was never meant to be fashionable. It was meant to be extraordinary.

If you want to make sure your perspiration produces results, I have one upcoming space in my coaching programme.

If you have any questions, comment below or contact me on X or LinkedIn.

Happy to help where I can.