A little time spent about grit and hard werk.

Ah, the noble pursuit of hard work. We’ve all heard the phrase, “hard work pays off,” usually uttered by someone who is either already successful or trying to convince themselves that the soul-crushing grind is worth it. Let’s be real, though: working hard is often just a fancy way of saying, “I’m sacrificing my sanity for the faint hope of a pat on the back.”

Wake up at 5 AM, they say. Hustle harder, they say. Meanwhile, Jeff from accounting is taking two-hour lunches and somehow still gets promoted. But hey, hard work builds character, right? That character must be for all the time you spend with your work-family instead of your actual family. Because nothing says success like trading your free time for spreadsheets and conference calls.

HINT: I am bring awardz.

And don’t get me started on the self-help gurus who swear by the grind. If I had a dollar for every time someone mentioned “10,000 hours” or “the hustle,” I wouldn’t need to work hard. I’d be sipping margaritas on a beach, far away from the endless cycle of work emails and urgent-but-not-really urgent deadlines.

So, here’s to you, the hardworking warrior. Keep grinding, keep hustling. Just remember to occasionally look up from your desk and question whether the rat race is worth running.