He told me he wants to die working — he loves it that much.
He said: “People will try to tell you that hard work is bad for you. And that you should work less. Don’t listen to them. Those people don’t enjoy their work, and they try to convince you of their fallacy.”
It got me thinking. Have you ever heard someone who loves their work, say that you shouldn’t work hard? No way. It’s always the lazy ones — like me back then — that make these statements.
When I first met my mentor, about five years ago, I didn’t understand why he worked seven days a week at his age. Why? Is it money, reputation, escapism?
Like many others, that ask “why would you work hard?” I just didn’t get it back then.
A few years later, when I was watching a documentary about the Boston Celtics, I noticed a quote they had in their gym.
“What hurts more. The pain of hard work or the pain of regret?”
The dots finally connected. You don’t work hard because of external motivation.
People who think that hard work is about ego, escapism or money, do not understand the value of hard work.
That quote remains stuck in my brain forever. And whenever I struggle or want to give up, I think of that question. Because work is not always fun.
And you know what? I choose the pain of hard work every single time.