The truth about working hard...

3 Thoughts

I.

You can't become who you want to be if you're clinging to who you currently are.

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II.

Your life is what you tolerate.

The habits you keep. The excuses you make. The people you allow in.

Raise your standards, and watch your life change.

III.

You don’t need permission to walk away.

If a book isn’t interesting, stop reading it. If a job is draining you, start planning your exit. If someone’s presence feels heavy, say no.

Most people waste years stuck in things they don’t even like—out of guilt, out of fear, out of habit. But staying in the wrong place won’t make it right.

Cut your losses. Move on. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for choosing better.

2 Quotes

I.

"Strategy is how you choose to allocate your limited resources against unlimited options.” — Alex Hormozi

II.

On picking what company to work for:

“For someone who’s early in their career—and maybe even later—the single most important thing about a company is the alumni network you’re going to build. Who are you going to work with, and what are those people going to go on and do?” — Naval Ravikant

1 Game-Changing Idea: The Story of The Two Brothers

The Pharaoh summoned two nephews to his court. Before them, he laid a challenge.

“You will each build a pyramid,” he declared. “A monument worthy of the gods. Upon completion, you will be granted wealth beyond measure. But you must build alone.”

Azur and Chuma bowed, accepting their fate.

The next morning, Azur began at sunrise. He carved the foundation by hand, dragging massive stones into place. Villagers gathered to watch, nodding in approval as he toiled beneath the blistering sun.

Chuma, however, did not lift a single stone.

Instead, he disappeared into a small workshop at the edge of the village. He sketched strange designs, tinkered with wood and rope, shaping gears and levers.

Azur scoffed. “You’re wasting time. A pyramid is built with sweat, not scribbles.”

Chuma only smiled. “Let’s see.”

Months passed. Azur’s pyramid rose, slowly but surely. His back ached, his hands bled, but he pressed on. His progress was undeniable—stone upon stone, layer upon layer.

Chuma’s land, by contrast, remained barren. No foundation. No stones. Only the quiet hum of his workshop as he labored over something unseen.

A year passed. Then two. Azur’s pyramid reached its second tier, but the stones grew heavier, the work slower. He sought the village’s strongest man to train him, to make him stronger.

“Harder work is the only way forward,” Azur declared.

Then, one day, the village awoke to a sound they had never heard before. A deep, rhythmic creaking, followed by the steady thud of stone meeting earth.

Azur followed the sound and froze.

Chuma stood at the base of his land, turning a crank. And before him—the impossible.

A machine of gears, pulleys, and counterweights lifted a massive stone into the air. With a simple push, it slid effortlessly into place.

Azur’s chest tightened. He had spent years lifting each stone by hand. The weight had bent his back, calloused his skin, drained his youth.

Chuma built in days what had taken Azur years.

Azur gritted his teeth. “I must work harder,” he told himself. “I must become stronger.”

So while Chuma’s pyramid soared, Azur doubled his efforts. He trained longer, ate more, lifted heavier stones. He ignored the pain, ignored the whispers of doubt.

By the time Chuma finished his pyramid, Azur had reached only half its height. The Pharaoh honored Chuma, draping him in gold, rewarding him with all the luxuries of the land.

Still, Azur worked.

Ten years passed. Azur’s hands had long since become raw, his body breaking under the weight of his own ambition.

Then, one day, as he hauled another stone into place—his heart gave out.

He collapsed atop the twelfth tier of his unfinished pyramid. He was just two levels from completion.

But he never reached the top.

Chuma, now Egypt’s greatest scholar, stood at the base of his own monument, watching as Azur’s body was carried away.

He did not smile. He did not gloat.

He only whispered, "Hard work matters. But working on the right thing matters more."

Until next week,
Jay “busyness is a form of laziness” Yang

Ps. Motivation

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