Life Skills
3 Ways Focusing on Christ Helps Me Work Hard
I had a hard time finding motivation, but a change of perspective helped.
When I was younger, my mother always made sure I was fulfilling my responsibilities, like doing my homework or chores.
However, when I became a young adult and no longer had my parents to motivate me, anything that required hard work became difficult. The more I fell behind on my to-do-list, the more I criticized myself and the more difficult it was for me to motivate myself to work harder.
I searched for a solution to manage my work habits. Eventually I put President Boyd K. Packer’s (1924–2015) counsel to the test:
“True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.
“The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior.”1
After studying hard work from a gospel perspective, I have come to understand that being willing to work hard is a divine attribute and that mastering it helps us become like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Here are three principles that have helped me in my journey to develop this divine quality.
Principle 1: Love Is the Greatest Motivator
During college, I often forgot the true purpose of my studies. I used to simply want to be smarter than others. But that mindset did not help me progress whenever I felt unmotivated.
As I asked Heavenly Father for help, He taught me to see that He could help me achieve more if I used my education to serve His children. Jesus Christ dedicated His life to His great work “because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men” (1 Nephi 19:9). Christ’s motive for working hard was never to advance Himself; He was driven by love for others.
By changing the motives behind my goals and increasing my capacity to serve God’s children, I felt my motivation to work hard increase. When I was not in the mood to study, I would think about the people who would one day need my skills. I began to have a godly perspective, and I felt the joy that He has in His great work.
Principle 2: “Doing” Is Often the Key to Motivation
I learned to expect some opposition when striving to love hard work. I’ve realized that “motivation follows action.” If you get stuck waiting for motivation to come before you act, you will probably be waiting a long time. But “once you get started, you will feel more motivated.”2 Or, like my mother would say, “Clean one plate and you will end up cleaning the whole kitchen.”
Disciplined disciples do hard things even when they’re not in the mood. Like missionaries leaving their comfort zones to preach the gospel. Or ministering sisters reaching out to serve even when it isn’t convenient.
When we take that first step toward hard work, the following steps become increasingly easier.
Principle 3: Simplify, Simplify and Simplify Some More
Since it’s impossible to do everything, it’s not enough to just work hard—we need to work wisely. Therefore, to avoid “labour[ing] in vain” (Isaiah 49:4), we need to choose small and simple things that will eventually lead us to accomplishing greater things. I learned that an important key to this is sharing “my work with my God” (Isaiah 49:4) and being led by the Holy Ghost.
When I plan my week, I strive to listen to the Spirit as I brainstorm projects and goals. I then counsel prayerfully with the Lord to decide which of those possible tasks would be of greatest benefit to me.
I normally end up choosing small, achievable goals. For example, I might set the goal to study for one hour, read the Book of Mormon for 20 minutes, and play with my baby girl for 30 minutes in the evening. Choosing only a few simple yet eternally impactful goals helps me to not feel so overwhelmed.
The Value of Hard Work
I share this counsel not because I am the expert on working hard but because I need it so much in my own life. I may not be a “natural” hard worker when it comes to my education, my career, or even my Church calling. But studying the topic of work and productivity with a focus on Jesus Christ has taught me these principles and helped me to become more responsible and productive in both the temporal and spiritual areas of life.
As Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “When we look at our lives and see a hundred things to do, we feel overwhelmed. When we see one thing—loving and serving God and His children, in a hundred different ways—then we can work on those things with joy.”3