The expressions ‘work hard’ and ‘hard work’ have very different meanings. They stir up differing sentiments, one more favorable than the other.
When someone is known to work hard, we often admire. It suggests that that effort is required, and we look upon it as a strong quality.
Hard work reflects a challenge and possibly tricky and problematic. It is avoided by many and rarely embraced.
Yet hard work can suggest a need for creativity and clarity to problem solve. It requires us to expand our mental capacity in a way that brings personal growth once we overcome the challenge.
Work hard can be misguided to assume that long hours suggest dedication, commitment, and grit. It minimizes that time does not measure astuteness and smartness in the way we work, which are valuable elements in good execution.
Work and hard will remain synonymous, and we can choose if we will be intelligent and creative about it or continue to expect and recognize time spent as valuable.
