Hard Work vs.

Smart Work
(What is the need of the 21st century?)
Naina Dasouni
In today’s world, Success is not just a value addition but an obligation. The 21st century has
instilled a competitive environment and a diversified work culture. It is this that increases the
value of a single second and the productivity of work in limited time periods. As Pablo Picasso
rightly said “Action is the key foundation to all success”. This brings us to the topic which is
atop the list of various lectures, addresses and corporate talks: Hard work vs. Smart work.

21st century is dubbed to be the era of smart work. It is widely advocated that hard work alone is
not sufficient to achieve your goals and smartness plays a crucial role in getting you there. This
makes one wonder about the old sayings which were phrased by some great thinkers - “hard
work is the key to success.” Are we to believe that the 21st century turtle won by sheer luck and
coincidence? Does his determination and perseverance deserve no recognition?

A1 211 degrees, the water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling comes steam...and
steam can power a locomotive. One extra degree makes all the difference. And the one extra
degree of effort separates the good from the great. After all no pain no palm; no thorn, no throne;
no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown. At this very moment, there are soldiers out there working
hard and serving the nation in every possible way. Can we deny that their hard work is needed in
the 21st century?

In the materialistic world of today, if success only amounts to nothing but short lived money,
fame and power accrued through nefarious acts and craftiness which is instantaneous, there is no
point in having an argument here. However hard workers take pleasure in relishing their works
knowing that scaling the mountains is what makes the view from top so exhilarating. An old
adage “slow and steady wins the race” has stood the tests of time. And though Hard workers go
slow, they go sure. This generation knows where it wants to go but is quite ignorant of the means
to reach there. One can never understand what it is they are missing out on until they actually
take the required efforts. Perspiration and persistence in facing obstacles, being constantly
challenged, giving your 100% and trying and trying till success is achieved is what carves out
your identity. Hard work has the power of performing miracles, it can move mountains, it can
turn a person of low intelligence and strength into a knowledgeable and powerful individual and
it can transform a pauper into a prince. Today, when there is no dearth of negativity and
depression owing to little failures, hard work will instill the power to reach goals.

Despite suffering a paralyzing injury, Washington Roebling conducted the entire construction of
the Brooklyn Bridge aided by his wife. Stephen Hawkins, a man who cannot move travelled the
space. An Albanian nun gave hope and love to the orphaned and abandoned in India. Was it
smart work that Wilma Rudolf who at the age of 6 was diagnosed with polio went on to win 3
gold medals in Rome or Adi Dassler, a shoemaker from a small town to pioneer an entire
industry? It wasn’t.

The debate of smart work vs. hard work is not the debate of white collared vs blue collared. As it
is not only ridiculous but also shallow to equate hard work to physical labor and one can’t say
that smart work is applicable only for intellectual tasks. Often hard work is equated to toiling and
smart work is dubbed as strategizing and manipulating resources to maximize the output. Yes
making an effort is important but knowing how, when and especially where to make the effort
takes you to the zenith. Well how does one know that? That’s the beauty. Work by day , toil by
night, liters of sweat and many trials as well as errors is what will help you find the answers to
all your questions. And when you find it, you find the correct place to put in all your efforts. And
when you do it, that is where you bring in the big difference in your life. It is true that Chanakya
with the knowledge of sama dama dand bheda and his smart thinking managed to build a huge
empire but his dexterity was a result of years of hard work and planning. The Vietnamese did
beat the US by using guerilla warfare. This smart utilization of the available resources was the
result of immense hard work that enabled these soldiers in mastering this technique.

Accomplishing success requires a great deal of being slick, multi-tasking, prioritizing your day,
being trend-aware and developing your own set of nifty tricks in order to accomplish tasks that
consume time and most importantly, putting in the hours driven by determination and
persistence. Smart work and hard work are not exclusive of each other. When one job vacancy
attracts thousands of applicants, the edge is the ability of critical analysis, strategizing and sound
judgment. Behind every successful smart worker there necessarily lies a hard worker. But when
in a conflict… the latter triumphs.

Behind every extraordinary achievement lies an extraordinary effort. Just a law of nature. Hasn’t
changed for centuries. So, why will it now?