ONE QUESTION

Is other people’s approval more important than your peace?

ONE THING TO PONDER

Wanting change and being ready for it are two very different things.

ONE PERSPECTIVE

Society doesn’t actually say it in plain english - ”Run ourselves into the ground”, yet it's the very thing it applauds, unfortunately. 

The grind is real. 

I value hard work, I believe we all owe it to ourselves and to others to work hard and to serve others. 

Some of the happiest and joyful moments in life come through stressful times, overcoming challenges, facing our demons. 

I’m not referring to working hard. 

I’m not referring to discipline. 

I’m talking about the constant need to work without rest. The constant need to prove to others that we’re awesome…so we never take our foot off the pedal. 

The grind becomes dangerous when it's no longer about building, but more about proving. 

When the engine driving us isn’t ambition, rather fear. 

Working hard has significant upsides:

- It helps build skills
- It stretches what we believe is possible
- It can build character
- It provides opportunities
- It makes us more valuable

Yet, there is a dark side to the grind, to constantly being “on”, to fulfilling every request with a ‘yes’ while your soul is screaming for a little space.  

I know a lot of hard working people, A LOT. I sincerely respect and admire those that work hard. 

What I can’t get on board with is the messaging behind what ‘working hard’ has come to represent:
- I’ll rest when I’m dead - This is bullshit, you’re going to be dead much sooner, so if that’s the goal, get after it
- Abandoning important relationships because work demands are too high
- Working hard = Self-Worth

The Dichotomy of Sacrifice

Great things require sacrifice…not as punishment, but as a tool to prioritize.

- We sacrifice time at the office to protect our marriage. 
- We sacrifice the vacation to fund our vision. 
- We sacrifice the easy path to build something hard and real. 

That kind of sacrifice? It's intentional. It's chosen. It points somewhere.

But there's another kind of sacrifice, the unconscious kind: 

- The relationships that quietly erode.
- The health we keep meaning to get back to. 
- The version of ourselves we keep promising we’ll return to once things settle down.

Things don't settle down. We know this.

The real question is this:

Is what you’re sacrificing intentional and in alignment, or are the sacrifices based on fear of what you’ll lose?

Sacrifice is for a season, not for a lifetime. 

The cause of the grind is what I’m most curious about.

Too often the grind is to help us fill a void inside of us. 

The grind is about proving ourselves to others. 

The grind is to help us feel better about ourselves. 

I just don’t agree with those reasons as a justification to grind. 

The purpose of today’s edition is to understand the direction of the grind and the trade-offs we’re making. 

If you’re good with the trade offs, I’m cheering for you. 

If you’re simply trying to prove yourself to a bunch of people who barely know you so you feel better about yourself, I’ll ask you to pause for a minute and evaluate. 

That pause could be the difference between fulfillment and regret. 

I’ll see you along the way!

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