The work is the reward

The Stoics say that doing the work is enough. That all the recognition and appraisal are nothing but extras to what’s already the reward.

In pursuing our goals, the work is often met with struggle and at times hesitancy. Rather than romanticise the work, we tell ourselves that the difficulties are what builds our character. And though that may be true, doing so can also make us  appreciate the journey less. It can make us take the work for granted, forgetting how lucky we are to be in a position to do the work.

This was what happened to me over the past month.

For example, I ruptured my ligament and strained my neck leaving me sidelined from any running or gym exercises. My mind went from obsessing the end goal (my weight loss and the ability to run 15km+) to missing the opportunity to do the work to get to those goals. In my weeks of injury, I spent nights watching countless videos of people running and never would I have thought I’d miss the feeling of it.

And thats sometime the reality of it all. You sometimes need to lose something, to know what you have. In this case, it was the “work”.

Or when I became disgruntled with work due to a lack of self-management, where I completely forgot the privilege that I am able to be a part of building an early stage startup towards their Series A funding and ultimately change the global mobility space - things that can actually change the way people live their lives.

If you know me, you’d know that I am a huge NBA fan (Knicks, to be specific - but nonetheless appreciative of all basketball). I also avidly keep up to date with the JJ Reddick podcast and in his recent interview with NBA All-Star Damian Lillard, there were wisdom bombs dropped by Lillard that had a strong Stoic sense to them.

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In calling out the new generation of young superstars coming through the NBA, he distinguishes that there’s a huge difference between loving basketball and loving what basketball can do for you. He goes on to elaborate how many young players are becoming more of the latter; and I feel this has extended beyond basketball. I too am guilty for this, and I know many other individuals within my network who can say the same.

Many, including myself, glorify entrepreneurship and think that you need to start a groundbreaking company that makes over six digits in revenue. This isn't the case and this isn’t love for entrepreneurship.  This is a case of loving what entrepreneurship can do for you.

I’ve come to realise that when you start loving what something can do for you, it becomes an ego thing.

What that thing can do for you is usually controlled by externalities, and so when we become those external factors, we lose touch of our efforts. We let the (uncontrollable) outcomes overshadow the (controllable) work that we’ve put in. As we lose sense of reality, it’ll only be a matter of time until we grow unappreciative of the work - especially during times when we feel the odds are against us.

What becomes more alarming is that our ego becomes tied to what others deem it to be worth. We lose sense of how we perceive ourselves as we surrender our self-confidence to the vanity (and short-lived) appraisal or lack thereof from others.

We all want to build a narrative for ourselves, we just have to make sure that we are the author of this narrative. We are the ones who determine how we face challenges and celebrate wins. It must be us, and no one else.

Ryan Holiday, the modern Stoic, in his article states the following:

It’s far better (and more resilient) when doing good work is sufficient. In other words, the less attached we are to outcomes the better.

When fulfilling our own standards is what fills us with pride and self respect. When the effort—not the results, good or bad—is enough.

Being able to do the work is a privilege not a burden. It is our responsibility to honour this privilege because one day it can be taken away from us.