The Hard Truth About Hard Work

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. — Galatians 6:9

Recently my husband, Michael, and I had a contractor doing some work in our basement, and that contractor said something I’ll never forget: “Hard work isn’t something this industry is drowning in, which I’m thankful for because that means more for us.”

A statement as profound as that one gets a straight-out-of-Hoosiers slow clap from me.

As an entrepreneur, business owner, podcaster, and author, I’ve done pretty well for myself, and I’ve learned a lot about goals, work, and failing up. But one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that success often hinges on simply refusing to quit.

Sticking out the hard stuff. Leaning into the struggle. Pushing through.

In any business or venture, nothing worth having is easy. When a dream gets really hard, most people will quit. They’ll change their minds about what they’re willing to sacrifice to reach their goals. They’ll allow fear or self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors to creep in.

It doesn’t have to be that way. We American women are the most blessed and fortunate on our planet. We have the right to have jobs and own businesses. We are privileged to live in a place where women are allowed to follow their dreams.

I believe God gave me certain skills and desires just so I can impact women through business ownership and leadership. It’s my joy, my passion, and my purpose to help women follow their calling, even when it isn’t convenient or easy.

Based on what I observe in my business and in my own personal experience, we’re often held back because of the hard work that pursuing a calling entails.

We all know that person who has a new dream every other month, and we can never keep up with what she’s doing now. Each time she starts something new, she goes all in, but then within months her desire for that thing fades, and she’s on to the next shiny thing. I see this all the time with work-at-home businesses. People switch from product to product, idea to idea, always thinking the next one is what will make them rich. No wonder their businesses never get off the ground. They’re not willing to stick to an enterprise long enough for it to succeed. Or maybe they’re just unwilling to work hard enough for it to happen.

But I’m not like that, and neither are you. If we want to work in the way God created us, we need to embrace that He has not given us a “spirit of fear and timidity, but of power” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT). We are not soft, delicate flowers who can’t hack the hard stuff. We’re not going to accept that walking away from a dream is the right choice just because the going gets tough.

Building a business is hard, but we can do hard things. Being a wife is hard, but we can do hard things. Being a mom is hard, but we can do hard things.

She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
— Proverbs 31:16-18 (longer)

I come from a long line of entrepreneurial women, and I’m handing down that legacy to my three daughters. In fact, my kids are part of the reason I do what I do. If they’re going to learn to stick out the hard stuff, my kids need to see me go first. I want them to learn the lessons I’ve learned about goals and work and failing up and refusing to quit.

I also do what I do because I believe the world needs what I have to offer — not just the products I have to offer but the teaching and the life experience and the encouragement. And guess what? The world needs what you have to offer too.

We need your genius. We need more ordinary women sharing their extraordinary talents with the world. We need more women in the world of entrepreneurship. We need more women who will practice persistence and own the struggle that comes with any worthwhile goal.

Your greatest opportunity will come when everyone else gives up. Be the one who lasts the longest. Yes, you will keep going and step into the person God made you to be.

God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. — 2 Timothy 1:7

Written for Faith.Full by Lindsay Teague Moreno, author of Boss Up!

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Your Turn

We can do hard things! God built us for it! What are you doing that is requiring piles of hard work right now? Consistent hard work. We want to hear! Come share on our blog! ~ Laurie McClure