What is The Grind Costing You?

Today, Monday, September 6th is Labor Day in the United States and Canada. If you are not familiar with the history of Labor Day, it's more than just door-buster sales, barbecues and a day off. You can read more about the history of Labor Day here.

Now, to the point of my postl, I was thinking recently about one reference we use so often in work when we mention the corporate 'hustle' or 'grind'.

The word grind literally means to crush or break something into smaller pieces by rubbing it against a rough surface or through excessive force. I don't know about you, but that sounds absolutely horrible and I want no parts of that!

So much of what we've learned and how we operate with work is based on the first industrial revolution, outdated labor laws and a workforce that was not created for all people to succeed.

Growing up as a black woman in the South, I was always told that I had to work twice as hard and be twice as good as my counterparts to be seen as equal or to get paid equally for my efforts. Over the years I have found this to be both true and false. There have been times where I worked hard, unfortunately to my detriment, and still did not receive the pay, promotions and merits that I deserved. There are other times when I worked more strategically and received my just due and then some.

Do I believe that hard work pays off? Absolutely! But if you are working hard on the wrong thing or have no intention and purpose in your work, then what are you really working hard for? Are you doing it to gain someone’s approval? Are you trying to prove something to yourself?

I was raised with a work ethic that your word is your bond. If you say you're going to do something, then you do it and you do it well. If you're not going to do it well, then don't do it at all. I have always had a certain standard of excellence in everything that I do and I still live by those values. It's a part of who I am.

However these days, I only commit to doing things after intentional thought and prioritization. My no is very strong and so are my overall boundaries when it comes to where I decided to invest my time and energy.


What I have realized in recent years is that when I truly believed that I was worthy of admiration and respect and worthy to be paid according to the value that I brought to the table (not only my efforts), that’s when I started receiving what was truly due to me.

Many of us now have the ability and option to change the way that we both view and do our work.

Today, my call to action for you is to challenge your thinking on what work currently looks like to you vs. what you want it to look like and start making any necessary changes you need to bring that vision to fruition. It's time to make the most of your time and energy to live a life that you actually enjoy. Life is too short to grind yourself into the ground and still be miserable.

Make your work worth it! Happy Labor Day!

-Lekisha