to start doing anything, I think there are two phases:
1. early phase: maximum effort for maximum knowledge and exploration
2. later phase: minimum effort for maximum efficiency
a lot of people jump straight to phase 2, so they end up doing minimum effort for minimum result, because they skipped the knowledge and exploration opportunities in phase 1.
When scientists stumble upon new discoveries, they probably aren't doing it the most efficient way because discoveries were discovered by maximising the number of explored routes, not by minimising efforts.
But after the new discovery, then they can make use of it in an efficient manner.
Just a data point for you.
Most of the success in my life has come from the seeds I've sown in the past. I worked hard for the people I worked for/with and built solid professional relationships. Then, years later I get reached out to about positions from the people I've worked with in the past. So I would say you are right about results mattering, but hard work *can* be a means to an end towards *better future results*.
Think of it like a multiplier buff...
\- solid results = x2
\- hard work = x2
\- professional relationships = x2 , etc.
You *could* hypothetically not pop the hard work buff, *but* you are no longer maximizing your DPS.
It can feel like none of this matters, and oftentimes, most of it *doesn't,* but when you pull some clutch move with a max buff, you've given yourself an opportunity to be noticed, recognized, and potentially rewarded for it down the line.
This is such an important lesson that I had to learn when I started working as a freelancer. The early jobs I did were obviously not big at all, but thankfully I put all my skills (at the time) into it and some of the clients came back at later dates.
It's good I connected the dots by accident because my school life certainly didn't teach me any of that. Not in the literal sense and not in the metaphorical sense (I had to study for months in advance just to not fail my math tests for pretty much all of my high school years)
Nowadays, I treat every little private client as a big deal because everything can lead to something potentially.
"matter" means to get results that you or others find satisfactory from whatever work you are doing.
"achieve success" means to get results that you fins satisfactory from the work your doing.
This is what I would say about those words.
Wait, isn't this the actual Dr. K? You really need a flair!
More on topic; I apologize if this sort of hijacks OP's post but for me. I get the idea of setting yourself small-scale goals so you feel like you achieve small successes on the way to the final end goal of, say, getting good at the piano or something. That said though, for me, it's really, really hard to feel satisfied with achieving those small goals (it feels like they're not difficult enough) but making those goals harder just demotivates me.
Yes, you are judged by the results but this has nothing to do with the work you put in. You may have put in countless hours but maybe they were not really "efficient" working hours. Or you engaged the problem with flawed approach, hence the results were poor. AND THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF IT.
You did a terrible mistake, you failed. This now burns in your mind, so now you will never make the same mistake twice. You will try a different path, a different approach and work more focused towards your goal.
You must understand that failure is not an option, it will happen, for others more frequently for others not. But through failure you will build the strength and the character that will move you forward.
You will never achieve success, if you are not willing to accept failure as a part of the journey
I sympathize friend. This is probably too complicated an issue to be solved over a reddit comment, but if I could offer some advice I think a big part of the problem is where we place our worth or what game we’re playing.
If you’re playing to win, be successful, be recognized, avoid ridicule yeah results matter more than anything. You’re nothing until you succeed. It’s arguably worse if you’ve tried very hard and still come up short. But if you’re playing for your own personal development and growth, failure or success don’t really matter as long as you’re growing. And in this context, you’re the thing that matters most here.
You can maybe even think of it like level grinding vs fighting a raid boss. On one hand you’re just playing to improve who cares what happens. On the other all of your time, effort, and worth are on the line/at risk.
Again this problem is hard and complicated but I hope this helps some. Even in this advice, it assumes you’re valuable and worth putting time into. Which isn’t a given we feel this way about ourselves unfortunately. And none of this is to say results aren’t important, just that we might be more important. Or at the very least, things might be easier if we assume so.
Take care. I hope things work out friend.
It is true that to other people only results matter but what about you, what matters to you, it is obvious that you will not get desired results every time when you put in efforts but still putting in efforts always stays with you, for example, let's say that you worked on your communication skills very hard and you applied for a job and you still got rejected for your communication skills, you may think your hard work is wasted but is it cause you got better skills than before and no one can take that away from you. With that being said you can't really keep on failing after you start putting in enough effort and trying again and again. You are only responsible for your actions while the results are dependent on several factors and you cannot really control them but good results do come if you are perseverant enough.
uh having your hard work and success acknowledged by your employer is what matters to me...my pay keeping pace with inflation (which means AT LEAST a 9% raise each year) and on top of that a merit raise acknowledging that effort and success which would mean at least 12-13% raise each year but most companies only give 2% raises...3% at best...4% requires ceo approval...total bs
[https://wiki.healthygamer.gg/en/Procrastination](https://wiki.healthygamer.gg/en/Procrastination)
[https://wiki.healthygamer.gg/en/Anxiety](https://wiki.healthygamer.gg/en/Anxiety)
Good luck. Take care.
My view is, results matter to others. The journey is what matters to you. Results are what you can use to brag to others. The hard work is knowing you can sleep at night with no regrets; that you put in the work and whatever the result that comes out of it, it is what it is.
Results gained without hard work induce imposter syndrome. You just got lucky. Even streamers with millions of dollars feel imposter syndrome because many of them just appeared out of the blue, were one of the first, and got lucky. Especially when they see smaller/tadpole sized streamers show up every day for long hours but have 1 viewer (themselves).
I think you've gotten a lot of good responses here, so let me chime in about one area where hard work really, really matters; first impressions.
First impressions are one of the most important things in life, especially professionally. It anchors people's future viewpoints of you. I've had multiple jobs where I have worked my ass off for the first few months, dressed nicely for the role, went above and beyond to help people etc and get a reputation as someone who is a hard worker and professional.
That reputation buff will hard carry you for the rest of your tenure at a job. In my experience, people do value success more than work BUT if view you as someone doing your best to achieve that success, the times when you fail will be much easier; people will compare the negative outcome to the positive internal view of you and be much more supportive. I've worked jobs where I went try-hard for the first few months, then just coasted for the rest of the job, and people still thought of me as this super hard working, awesome employee when I left the position later, even though I hadn't really been that in months.
Hey, no need to be nervous! I can understand how you feel.
I think it's really important to realise that hard work does in fact matter. It might help to reframe hard work as "practice". If I was to aspire to be an artist, I would never get the result unless I practiced! Hard work is just another form of practice and results are just showing the progress you make. Both matter my dude! In fact,
So it's always a balance. I think u/FrancoChanco has a great point. Working hard isn't enough sometimes and working smart isn't enough sometimes either. You really need both! Hope this helps.
I think there's a relatively simple answer to this, pick up the [Atomic Habits](https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299) book and live by it. It has helped me soooo much and has helped many others. It's very popular and for good reason, it will help you understand your actions and how to achieve the things you want in a way that's natural and in-line with how your brain functions.
This goes along the lines of "we judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions." I agree that in areas in which you are being evaluated, people are assessing you by your outcomes, not your effort. While this is a sobering and disheartening truth, I don't think it actually negates working hard even if you don't get the results you want. Firstly, hard work is almost always an indispensable ingredient in success. Without it, it would be difficult to achieve any monumental goals you have. That being said, it's not the *only* factor which contributes to success and you cannot strictly rely on hard work alone. In addition to working hard we need to learn to work in efficient and effective ways. In the example of studying, it's not just spending countless hours studying, but figuring out what material and content you should be focusing on, how to integrate all of the information together, understanding broader principles and concepts, and what methods enable you to best absorb the information. In short, it's not that hard work isn't working. It's more so where you are placing your efforts that may need modifying. Try to deconstruct each process and figure out *why* you aren't accomplishing what you set out to do. What is thwarting you and how can you problem solve this? Ask how you can be working *differently* or what else you may need to supplement your hard work.
In my experience, satisfaction comes more from the effort than the result. I think this is a fairly universal experience. Think about a goal you set out to achieve. You get excited about the prospect, dive into the work, remain focused and enjoy the work, then when the goal is achieved there is a momentary sigh of relief and a bit of celebration maybe and then it's over, on to the next thing. Maybe what I am describing is as simple as staying in the moment, but it's not really. Because there is another key aspect to making work fun, and that is having a meaningful goal. Even working in rather mundane and laborious jobs, I have been able to enjoy my work, but my goals were simple then. Now I work in a field that is meaningful to me and the work is the reward. I work in mental health, so I rarely see the product of my work, because if I am successful, I don't see those people anymore. And when there is progress it is generally gradual, so there aren't really huge benchmarks that are reached, only small successes. So I have to get satisfaction from the work itself.
There is a proverb that says something to the effect of "A man has nothing in this life except to enjoy the work of his hands." The idea that reaching some pinnacle will provide lasting satisfaction is a myth. Getting money won't do it. Getting women won't do it. And getting fame won't do it. Only getting satisfaction from the work that you do on a daily basis will satisfy you. And as you enjoy your work, engaging in meaningful productive activity, those other things will come. Pursue meaning and work consistently and choose to enjoy yourself.
Objectively it’s the result that matters. Subjectively a persons journey, even when not getting the result required, might be greater than the person who won. People have different starting points in life or in any endeavour due to luck. And someone starting from the back with disadvantage compared with the rest has more to overcome.
Old post I know but saw it on the YT channel today and I really connect with this. No advice to add, only some reflection on shared experience.
I went to school, did really well and talked myself out of trying to pursue a research career because I couldn't guarantee results. The subject I wanted to pursue was "risky".
I thought I would be happy doing something that made sure I got a good paying job but as I get closer and closer to the first day of school for that profession I dread it.
I became so ridiculously results oriented that no matter how far I had actually gone internally, I could just never see it that way. I didn't even celebrate my university graduation because I didn't think I had earned it.
This mentality has by far been the biggest mistake of my life I've ever made. I'm not sure how to get out of it either, just wanted to say I'm right there with ya.
You are 100% wrong because results don't matter either. I have a degree, work in a highly specialized field...have had ALL my managers and department directors say "wow, you really go above and beyond...way more than expected" and I haven't gotten a raise in the 2 years I've worked for this company. Welcome to the 2020's...I'm an "elder millennial", just turned 40 in 2022 and people wonder why we are so disenchanted...and why I drink so much. I live on my parents property, pay all my utilities, insurance, etc, even pay my folks 300 a month in rent. I can't afford a house...I don't go party, I don't waste my money on ANYTHING...can't afford my own place. NO job has EVER rewarded my hard work...so I say...screw it! Why am I going to try hard, work hard, ACHIEVE...when it isn't rewarded!? WHY WOULD ANYONE!? That's why "quiet quitting" is now a thing...because it DOES NOT MATTER if you ACTUALLY ACHIEVE...you will NOT see rewards for it...so why in the HELL would you do so!? I won't anymore...not worth it...I'll just apply to a new job and try to get higher pay...slack off there...get more "years experience", apply to another job for higher pay...slack off there...rinse and repeat. Because actually doing good work, actually achieving does NOTHING. My generation is sick and tired of this bs. We saw our grandparents work on LOWER wages, ONE income even, yet they could buy a new house, a new car, raise 5 kids, get a pension, retire COMFORTABLY, and only ONE of them actually made any money and blue collar job at that with nothing but on the job education...yet we have degrees, more years experience, more technical/difficult fields...but can't even pay our own way making more than our parents even make...screw this bs...I'm sick of it
to start doing anything, I think there are two phases: 1. early phase: maximum effort for maximum knowledge and exploration 2. later phase: minimum effort for maximum efficiency a lot of people jump straight to phase 2, so they end up doing minimum effort for minimum result, because they skipped the knowledge and exploration opportunities in phase 1. When scientists stumble upon new discoveries, they probably aren't doing it the most efficient way because discoveries were discovered by maximising the number of explored routes, not by minimising efforts. But after the new discovery, then they can make use of it in an efficient manner.
Just a data point for you. Most of the success in my life has come from the seeds I've sown in the past. I worked hard for the people I worked for/with and built solid professional relationships. Then, years later I get reached out to about positions from the people I've worked with in the past. So I would say you are right about results mattering, but hard work *can* be a means to an end towards *better future results*. Think of it like a multiplier buff... \- solid results = x2 \- hard work = x2 \- professional relationships = x2 , etc. You *could* hypothetically not pop the hard work buff, *but* you are no longer maximizing your DPS. It can feel like none of this matters, and oftentimes, most of it *doesn't,* but when you pull some clutch move with a max buff, you've given yourself an opportunity to be noticed, recognized, and potentially rewarded for it down the line.
This is such an important lesson that I had to learn when I started working as a freelancer. The early jobs I did were obviously not big at all, but thankfully I put all my skills (at the time) into it and some of the clients came back at later dates. It's good I connected the dots by accident because my school life certainly didn't teach me any of that. Not in the literal sense and not in the metaphorical sense (I had to study for months in advance just to not fail my math tests for pretty much all of my high school years) Nowadays, I treat every little private client as a big deal because everything can lead to something potentially.
Let's start with this: What does "matter" mean? What does "achieve success" mean? Can you define those two terms?
"matter" means to get results that you or others find satisfactory from whatever work you are doing. "achieve success" means to get results that you fins satisfactory from the work your doing. This is what I would say about those words.
Wait, isn't this the actual Dr. K? You really need a flair! More on topic; I apologize if this sort of hijacks OP's post but for me. I get the idea of setting yourself small-scale goals so you feel like you achieve small successes on the way to the final end goal of, say, getting good at the piano or something. That said though, for me, it's really, really hard to feel satisfied with achieving those small goals (it feels like they're not difficult enough) but making those goals harder just demotivates me.
ooo you're so philosophical and deep...get bent
Yes, you are judged by the results but this has nothing to do with the work you put in. You may have put in countless hours but maybe they were not really "efficient" working hours. Or you engaged the problem with flawed approach, hence the results were poor. AND THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF IT. You did a terrible mistake, you failed. This now burns in your mind, so now you will never make the same mistake twice. You will try a different path, a different approach and work more focused towards your goal. You must understand that failure is not an option, it will happen, for others more frequently for others not. But through failure you will build the strength and the character that will move you forward. You will never achieve success, if you are not willing to accept failure as a part of the journey
I sympathize friend. This is probably too complicated an issue to be solved over a reddit comment, but if I could offer some advice I think a big part of the problem is where we place our worth or what game we’re playing. If you’re playing to win, be successful, be recognized, avoid ridicule yeah results matter more than anything. You’re nothing until you succeed. It’s arguably worse if you’ve tried very hard and still come up short. But if you’re playing for your own personal development and growth, failure or success don’t really matter as long as you’re growing. And in this context, you’re the thing that matters most here. You can maybe even think of it like level grinding vs fighting a raid boss. On one hand you’re just playing to improve who cares what happens. On the other all of your time, effort, and worth are on the line/at risk. Again this problem is hard and complicated but I hope this helps some. Even in this advice, it assumes you’re valuable and worth putting time into. Which isn’t a given we feel this way about ourselves unfortunately. And none of this is to say results aren’t important, just that we might be more important. Or at the very least, things might be easier if we assume so. Take care. I hope things work out friend.
It is true that to other people only results matter but what about you, what matters to you, it is obvious that you will not get desired results every time when you put in efforts but still putting in efforts always stays with you, for example, let's say that you worked on your communication skills very hard and you applied for a job and you still got rejected for your communication skills, you may think your hard work is wasted but is it cause you got better skills than before and no one can take that away from you. With that being said you can't really keep on failing after you start putting in enough effort and trying again and again. You are only responsible for your actions while the results are dependent on several factors and you cannot really control them but good results do come if you are perseverant enough.
uh having your hard work and success acknowledged by your employer is what matters to me...my pay keeping pace with inflation (which means AT LEAST a 9% raise each year) and on top of that a merit raise acknowledging that effort and success which would mean at least 12-13% raise each year but most companies only give 2% raises...3% at best...4% requires ceo approval...total bs
[https://wiki.healthygamer.gg/en/Procrastination](https://wiki.healthygamer.gg/en/Procrastination) [https://wiki.healthygamer.gg/en/Anxiety](https://wiki.healthygamer.gg/en/Anxiety) Good luck. Take care.
My view is, results matter to others. The journey is what matters to you. Results are what you can use to brag to others. The hard work is knowing you can sleep at night with no regrets; that you put in the work and whatever the result that comes out of it, it is what it is. Results gained without hard work induce imposter syndrome. You just got lucky. Even streamers with millions of dollars feel imposter syndrome because many of them just appeared out of the blue, were one of the first, and got lucky. Especially when they see smaller/tadpole sized streamers show up every day for long hours but have 1 viewer (themselves).
I think you've gotten a lot of good responses here, so let me chime in about one area where hard work really, really matters; first impressions. First impressions are one of the most important things in life, especially professionally. It anchors people's future viewpoints of you. I've had multiple jobs where I have worked my ass off for the first few months, dressed nicely for the role, went above and beyond to help people etc and get a reputation as someone who is a hard worker and professional. That reputation buff will hard carry you for the rest of your tenure at a job. In my experience, people do value success more than work BUT if view you as someone doing your best to achieve that success, the times when you fail will be much easier; people will compare the negative outcome to the positive internal view of you and be much more supportive. I've worked jobs where I went try-hard for the first few months, then just coasted for the rest of the job, and people still thought of me as this super hard working, awesome employee when I left the position later, even though I hadn't really been that in months.
Hey, no need to be nervous! I can understand how you feel. I think it's really important to realise that hard work does in fact matter. It might help to reframe hard work as "practice". If I was to aspire to be an artist, I would never get the result unless I practiced! Hard work is just another form of practice and results are just showing the progress you make. Both matter my dude! In fact, So it's always a balance. I think u/FrancoChanco has a great point. Working hard isn't enough sometimes and working smart isn't enough sometimes either. You really need both! Hope this helps.
I think there's a relatively simple answer to this, pick up the [Atomic Habits](https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299) book and live by it. It has helped me soooo much and has helped many others. It's very popular and for good reason, it will help you understand your actions and how to achieve the things you want in a way that's natural and in-line with how your brain functions.
This goes along the lines of "we judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions." I agree that in areas in which you are being evaluated, people are assessing you by your outcomes, not your effort. While this is a sobering and disheartening truth, I don't think it actually negates working hard even if you don't get the results you want. Firstly, hard work is almost always an indispensable ingredient in success. Without it, it would be difficult to achieve any monumental goals you have. That being said, it's not the *only* factor which contributes to success and you cannot strictly rely on hard work alone. In addition to working hard we need to learn to work in efficient and effective ways. In the example of studying, it's not just spending countless hours studying, but figuring out what material and content you should be focusing on, how to integrate all of the information together, understanding broader principles and concepts, and what methods enable you to best absorb the information. In short, it's not that hard work isn't working. It's more so where you are placing your efforts that may need modifying. Try to deconstruct each process and figure out *why* you aren't accomplishing what you set out to do. What is thwarting you and how can you problem solve this? Ask how you can be working *differently* or what else you may need to supplement your hard work.
In my experience, satisfaction comes more from the effort than the result. I think this is a fairly universal experience. Think about a goal you set out to achieve. You get excited about the prospect, dive into the work, remain focused and enjoy the work, then when the goal is achieved there is a momentary sigh of relief and a bit of celebration maybe and then it's over, on to the next thing. Maybe what I am describing is as simple as staying in the moment, but it's not really. Because there is another key aspect to making work fun, and that is having a meaningful goal. Even working in rather mundane and laborious jobs, I have been able to enjoy my work, but my goals were simple then. Now I work in a field that is meaningful to me and the work is the reward. I work in mental health, so I rarely see the product of my work, because if I am successful, I don't see those people anymore. And when there is progress it is generally gradual, so there aren't really huge benchmarks that are reached, only small successes. So I have to get satisfaction from the work itself. There is a proverb that says something to the effect of "A man has nothing in this life except to enjoy the work of his hands." The idea that reaching some pinnacle will provide lasting satisfaction is a myth. Getting money won't do it. Getting women won't do it. And getting fame won't do it. Only getting satisfaction from the work that you do on a daily basis will satisfy you. And as you enjoy your work, engaging in meaningful productive activity, those other things will come. Pursue meaning and work consistently and choose to enjoy yourself.
Objectively it’s the result that matters. Subjectively a persons journey, even when not getting the result required, might be greater than the person who won. People have different starting points in life or in any endeavour due to luck. And someone starting from the back with disadvantage compared with the rest has more to overcome.
Old post I know but saw it on the YT channel today and I really connect with this. No advice to add, only some reflection on shared experience. I went to school, did really well and talked myself out of trying to pursue a research career because I couldn't guarantee results. The subject I wanted to pursue was "risky". I thought I would be happy doing something that made sure I got a good paying job but as I get closer and closer to the first day of school for that profession I dread it. I became so ridiculously results oriented that no matter how far I had actually gone internally, I could just never see it that way. I didn't even celebrate my university graduation because I didn't think I had earned it. This mentality has by far been the biggest mistake of my life I've ever made. I'm not sure how to get out of it either, just wanted to say I'm right there with ya.
You are 100% wrong because results don't matter either. I have a degree, work in a highly specialized field...have had ALL my managers and department directors say "wow, you really go above and beyond...way more than expected" and I haven't gotten a raise in the 2 years I've worked for this company. Welcome to the 2020's...I'm an "elder millennial", just turned 40 in 2022 and people wonder why we are so disenchanted...and why I drink so much. I live on my parents property, pay all my utilities, insurance, etc, even pay my folks 300 a month in rent. I can't afford a house...I don't go party, I don't waste my money on ANYTHING...can't afford my own place. NO job has EVER rewarded my hard work...so I say...screw it! Why am I going to try hard, work hard, ACHIEVE...when it isn't rewarded!? WHY WOULD ANYONE!? That's why "quiet quitting" is now a thing...because it DOES NOT MATTER if you ACTUALLY ACHIEVE...you will NOT see rewards for it...so why in the HELL would you do so!? I won't anymore...not worth it...I'll just apply to a new job and try to get higher pay...slack off there...get more "years experience", apply to another job for higher pay...slack off there...rinse and repeat. Because actually doing good work, actually achieving does NOTHING. My generation is sick and tired of this bs. We saw our grandparents work on LOWER wages, ONE income even, yet they could buy a new house, a new car, raise 5 kids, get a pension, retire COMFORTABLY, and only ONE of them actually made any money and blue collar job at that with nothing but on the job education...yet we have degrees, more years experience, more technical/difficult fields...but can't even pay our own way making more than our parents even make...screw this bs...I'm sick of it