There is an old fable that my father was very fond of telling me about a lazy grasshopper and an industrious ant. Depending on the mood dad was in, the lazy grasshopper either died from starvation, froze to death, or was permanently indebted to the ant. Basically your stock-standard story about the importance of working hard at all times without exception.
Several years ago, somebody told me “Hard work isn’t rewarded: it is exploited” and that’s kinda stuck in my head. Which isn’t to say I don’t work hard: I work very hard. But the rewards from that work have been… fleeting? And that’s okay… hard work without good luck is useless. I get that. But days like today, as I witness the state of my bank account and my bills… it can be hard to keep a positive outlook.
But what choice do I have? I can’t not work hard. It’s just not the way I’m wired. The new push for “Quiet Quitting” is really good for other people (honestly! Work to what your contract stipulates you are paid for and not more unless they pay you more!), but it’s not possible for me. I try, but I always end up rising to meet new challenges, to write more words, to be a better employee at the job I work in order to pay for my writing. I say I don’t care about my grades and then bend over backwards to make sure I maintain my straight-A average.
Ah well. Hopefully at some point the work I put in will be rewarded enough that I don’t have to constantly work at the razor edge of breakdown. That’d be nice.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!