There Are No Hacks
Today I learned that what some online gurus refer to as “life hacks” or “brain hacks” or “work hacks” are all a bunch of hooey.
There's either doing the work or not. There's either getting up every day and grinding through or not. There's either approaching the hard things like a man, or there's believing in some magical fairyland shortcut you learn from a blog post.
People make a lot of money and gain a lot of attention for themselves by convincing us all otherwise.
If we screw up, fall behind, or just plain don't do the work, it isn't because we weren't privy to some secret “hack”.
It's because we're lazy. Or because we're lost. Or because we're full of doubt. We're tired. We're self-loathing. We feel alone.
If there's one actual “hack” I've learned – in addition to there being no hacks – it's to forgive myself for screwing up yesterday. Really forgive myself. And then pick up my whiny little ass and keep marching.
I'll say it again: business is not easy. Business is war. War is hard. It takes sacrifice and putting our big boy and girl pants on every single day.
Yes, some people do have it easy. Some get incredibly lucky and don't have to work as hard. Some are at the right place at the right time and skate through to an 8-figure exit.
But then there's the rest of us. They include me and probably you, too. We are the ones to whom the laws of business, physics, and reality still apply.
Let's not delude ourselves.
Oh, and speaking of war. If you're struggling with entrepreneurship, feeling hopeless, or need a hefty dose of reality, do yourself a favor an pick up The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. If I made a list of the top 10 books that changed my life (and I'm not using that phrase lightly) this one would rank in the top three.
He's the first “guru” who told me like it is. Even though his book is aimed at writers, it is equally applicable to entrepreneurs. It prepared me for the resistance I will face every day for the rest of my creative and business life.
So you want a “hack”? Step away from the guru blogs and read that book. Then grab your sword and shield and prepare for battle.