The last statement is the only one that is true.
There's no doubt in the mind of any person of reasonable intelligence that in order to get money �" or anything else for that matter �" you have to do something first. That's why we talk about money being earned. It's the act of doing something, being of some benefit or service, that allows us to earn money. So does that mean that the harder we work, the more money we earn?
That's where some people make a mistake. There's a notion that was particularly widespread in the past (yet many still carry this notion even today) that working hard is the only way to make money.
But is that really the case? If it isn't, then what is the answer? And if it is, then why is it that so many people who work hard make little money?
It's really quite simple to understand why working harder isn't the solution to making more money. Let's take the example of a factory worker. Let's say this person makes $700 a week working full-time. Now this person wants to make more money. So he decides to work harder. He manages to get more work done every day than the rest of the employees because of the extra amount of work he does.
What do you expect will happen to this employee? If he's lucky, his boss might give him a raise. Most of the time, nothing would change. But let's say this is a good boss that rewards his employees.
So after working harder for a few weeks, the boss notices the extra effort made by this man, and now he gets $800 a week. So there's a hundred dollars extra every week that shows up in his bank account. Is he now rich?
You can be the judge of that. But taking the best-case scenario, let's say this guy gets promoted into a managerial position, and makes $1000 every week. We all know this doesn't always happen, but knowing that this is an ideal boss, he gets this promotion. So now �" let's say it's been a few months �" this guy is seeing three hundred extra dollars a week because of his hard work.
Is there any chance of another pay rise? Probably not, taking into consideration the fact that this is a regular factory worker with no special skills or experience in any other industry. So now we can quite safely say that this guy will be making a thousand dollars a week for a while to come.
Did this man get rich? Depending on where you live, a thousand dollars a week is quite an average income. You won't go through life struggling to buy necessities, but you won't be swimming in riches either.
So much for working hard!
So what is the solution, you ask? Now that you've seen what happens when you work harder, let's see what happens when you work smarter.
Let's use another example. We have a lady who is working as a sales assistant in a retail store. She also makes around $700 a week. She wants to get rich, but she already knows that working harder is not the answer.
Instead, she realizes that she could make good use of her spare time after work and on the weekends. She doesn't have any professional qualifications, but she has a fine imagination and a lot of ideas.
She's always enjoyed reading, for information as well as for pleasure, so she decides that it would be a great idea to write a novel. So every day after work �" instead of watching TV or reading the newspaper �" she spends a couple of hours writing down ideas for this new project.
Now after several months, her project is just about completed. She hires an editor to read through the novel, give his advice and thoughts on it, then goes out looking for a publisher. Within another few months the novel hits the bookshelves.
Because of her incredible imagination and captivating style, the novel sells in huge quantities. By the end of the year, she finds herself with a nice profit of $100,000 from the sales of her book. Not to mention the money that could result from future sales.
Is the picture becoming clearer now? Here we have two people, of average status, with similar incomes, who both would like to make more money. One of them adopted the idea or 'work harder', and after a few months, ended up with an extra few hundred dollars a week
While the other decided to use the philosophy 'work smarter' and after several months, ended up with a six-digit number in her bank account.
Such is the power of imagination.
Drea Mer is an observer and researcher on the hidden meanings of life. He is constantly looking for ways to get the most out of life, and assists others in reaching their full potential. You can find ideas, tips and advice that could transform your life forever at Drea Mer's blog: http://transform-yourlife.blogspot.com
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