Why Hard Work Doesn't Work!

Summary

In this episode of 'Beyond Limits Empowering Coaches and Entrepreneurs,' Steve and Odal Remer delve into the concept of hard work and its impact on the brain and body. They challenge the conventional belief that hard work alone leads to success, highlighting that the emotional state during work significantly influences productivity and results. The hosts explain how negative emotions caused by stress chemicals can impair cognitive functions, while positive emotions enhance them. They offer practical tips on how to approach work with a positive mindset, such as assessing if the task is necessary, finding enjoyment in the process, and focusing on the end result. The episode concludes with an invitation to join a free Mastermind session for further insights on optimizing brain function and achieving success.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The definition of working hard varies from person to person, and it's the inner experience that counts, not just the amount of effort or time put in.
• 🚫 Working hard while feeling stressed, resentful, or frustrated can be counterproductive due to the negative impact on cognitive thinking and creativity.
• 🧪 Stress chemicals can cause blood to drain from the prefrontal cortex, impairing problem-solving and creative abilities.
• 💡 Positive emotions, driven by feel-good chemicals like endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin, enhance cognitive function and allow for better results.
• 🤔 Assess if the hard work you're doing is truly necessary, or if it's due to conditioning that suggests hard work is the only path to success.
• 🔄 If you don't enjoy the hard work, consider if there's an alternative task or someone else who could do it, to avoid negative emotions.
• 🌟 Before engaging in hard work, ensure you're in a good emotional state to maximize the benefits of your cognitive abilities.
• 🎵 Listening to uplifting music, going for a walk, or engaging in physical exercise can help increase feel-good chemicals and reduce stress.
• 🔋 Having something to look forward to after completing a task can motivate you to work harder and enjoy the process more.
• 👀 Focus on the end result and the positive impact your work will have on others to stay motivated and maintain a positive outlook.
• 🌈 Visualizing a positive outcome or being surrounded by your favorite color can help reduce stress and induce a feel-good state.
• 📚 There's a free Mastermind available for further learning on how hard work and emotions impact the brain and how to optimize your cognitive performance.

Q & A

What is the main topic of discussion in the podcast?

The main topic of discussion is the big lie around hard work, its effects on the brain and body, and how it can be counterproductive.

What is the traditional belief about hard work that the hosts challenge?

The traditional belief challenged is that working hard is the most important, admirable, and the only way to get results and be successful.

How does the inner experience of working hard differ from person to person?

The inner experience of working hard differs based on personal enjoyment and feelings towards the task, which can affect the level of stress, resentment, or excitement.

What is the impact of negative emotions on cognitive thinking?

Negative emotions caused by stress chemicals can cause blood to drain from the prefrontal cortex, impairing problem-solving, creativity, and communication skills.

How do positive emotions affect the brain's prefrontal cortex?

Positive emotions, stimulated by feel-good chemicals like endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin, bring blood back to the prefrontal cortex, enhancing cognitive thinking.

What tips are given for achieving goals without feeling stressed while working hard?

Tips include assessing if the task is necessary, considering alternatives, ensuring a feel-good state before starting, and focusing on the end result.

How can one get into a feel-good state before engaging in a task they find hard?

One can get into a feel-good state by listening to uplifting music, going for a walk, engaging in physical exercise, or thinking about something they look forward to.

What is the significance of focusing on the end result while working hard?

Focusing on the end result can motivate and inspire, as it shifts the mindset from the hardship of the task to the positive impact it will have on others or the personal satisfaction gained.

What is the 'Remit Method' and how can listeners learn more about it?

The 'Remit Method' is a concept or approach developed by the podcast hosts. Listeners can learn more by enrolling in a free Mastermind session, the link to which is provided in the podcast description.

How can the listeners benefit from leaving a five-star review for the podcast?

Leaving a five-star review helps the podcast reach a wider audience, allowing others to benefit from the insights and strategies shared in the episodes.

What is the hosts' final message to the listeners?

The hosts express gratitude for tuning in, offer love and encouragement, and invite listeners to subscribe for more inspiration and strategies to fuel their success.

How can one contact the hosts if they have questions or need clarification?

Listeners are encouraged to post their questions in the comments section of the podcast platform, where the hosts will be happy to provide answers and share information.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 The Impact of Hard Work on the Brain and Body

Steve and Odal Remit, founders of the Remit Method, introduce the podcast 'Beyond Limits' aimed at empowering coaches and entrepreneurs. They discuss the common belief that hard work is essential for success, but challenge this notion by highlighting the negative effects of working hard while feeling stressed or resentful. They explain that the chemical state in the brain, influenced by emotions, can hinder cognitive thinking and problem-solving abilities. The hosts suggest that positive emotions, driven by feel-good chemicals like endorphin, serotonin, and oxytocin, can improve the quality of work by maintaining blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for clear thinking.

05:00

🌟 Tips for Achieving Success with Enjoyable Hard Work

The hosts provide advice on how to approach hard work effectively. They emphasize the importance of enjoying the process and feeling good about the work being done, as this state of mind allows for better cognitive function and more efficient work. If someone finds their hard work stressful or unenjoyable, they suggest taking a step back to reassess the situation. It's important to question whether the task is necessary and if there are alternative ways to achieve the desired outcome without negative emotions. If the task is unavoidable, they recommend finding ways to get into a positive state before starting, such as listening to uplifting music, going for a walk, or visualizing a positive outcome. The ultimate goal is to work hard while maintaining a good feeling, which will lead to better results.

10:02

📢 Engaging with the Remit Method for Further Insights

The podcast concludes with an invitation for listeners to engage further with the Remit Method. The hosts encourage leaving a five-star review if the episode was found to be helpful and to subscribe for more inspiration and strategies. They also mention a free Mastermind session for those interested in learning more about the impact of hard work and emotions on the brain. Interested individuals can sign up through the provided link. The episode ends with an invitation to visit their website for more information and an expression of love and encouragement to the listeners.

Keywords

💡Hard Work

Hard work is defined as putting in a lot of effort and time into a task or activity. In the context of the video, it is contrasted with the emotional state one is in while working hard. The video challenges the traditional belief that hard work alone leads to success, emphasizing instead the importance of how one feels while working hard and its impact on cognitive function and results.

💡Stress Chemicals

Stress chemicals refer to hormones and neurotransmitters that are released in response to stress or negative emotions, such as frustration or anxiety. The video explains that these chemicals can negatively affect cognitive thinking by causing blood to drain from the prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for problem-solving and creativity. This is a key point in the discussion about the counterproductive effects of working hard while feeling stressed.

💡Feel-Good Chemicals

Feel-good chemicals, such as endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin, are hormones that are associated with positive emotions and well-being. The video highlights that when these chemicals are present in the system, they can enhance cognitive function by increasing blood flow to the prefrontal cortex. This allows for clearer thinking and better problem-solving, which is essential for achieving good results while working hard.

💡Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain responsible for higher-order cognitive functions such as decision-making, problem-solving, and creativity. In the video, it is mentioned that stress chemicals can cause blood to drain from this area, impairing these functions. Conversely, feel-good chemicals help maintain blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for working effectively and achieving results.

💡Counterproductive

Counterproductive refers to actions or behaviors that have the opposite effect of what is intended, often resulting in negative outcomes. The video uses this term to describe the potential negative effects of working hard while feeling negative emotions, such as stress or resentment, which can hinder cognitive abilities and lead to less effective work.

💡Inner Experience

Inner experience is the personal and subjective feeling one has while engaging in an activity. The video emphasizes that the inner experience of working hard can vary greatly between individuals, even when the amount of effort is the same. It is the emotional state associated with the inner experience that determines whether the work is productive or counterproductive.

💡Achievement

Achievement is the accomplishment of a goal or task. In the video, it is discussed that the feeling of achievement is not solely dependent on the effort put into working hard but also on the presence of feel-good chemicals in the system. The combination of effort and positive emotional state can lead to a greater sense of achievement.

💡Conditioning

Conditioning refers to the process of learning through exposure to certain stimuli or experiences, leading to the formation of habits or beliefs. The video mentions that many people are conditioned to believe that hard work is the only path to success, which may not always be the case. This conditioning can lead to a mindset that overlooks the importance of emotional state while working.

💡Cognitive Thinking

Cognitive thinking involves the mental processes of acquiring, processing, and storing information. The video explains that cognitive thinking is impacted by the chemical state of the brain, with stress chemicals reducing its effectiveness and feel-good chemicals enhancing it. This is crucial for understanding how one's emotional state while working hard can affect the quality of work and the ability to achieve goals.

💡Emotional State

Emotional state refers to the current mood or feelings one is experiencing. The video argues that one's emotional state while working hard is critical for determining the effectiveness of the work. Positive emotional states, such as enjoyment or excitement, can lead to better results due to the presence of feel-good chemicals, while negative emotional states can be counterproductive.

💡End Result

The end result is the final outcome or consequence of an action or series of actions. The video suggests focusing on the end result as a way to motivate oneself to work hard with a positive emotional state. By envisioning the positive impact or change that the work will bring, one can feel more inspired and motivated, leading to better results.

Highlights

The podcast challenges traditional beliefs about the importance and effectiveness of hard work.

Discusses the conditioned belief that hard work is the only path to success.

Differentiates between working hard and the inner experience of enjoyment versus stress.

Explains how stress chemicals can negatively impact cognitive functions.

Positive emotions, driven by feel-good chemicals, enhance cognitive abilities and problem-solving.

Provides tips for achieving goals with a focus on the emotional state while working.

Suggests assessing if the hard work is necessary or a result of conditioning.

Advises taking a break to achieve a feel-good state before engaging in tasks that cause stress.

Recommends activities like listening to music, walking, or exercising to increase feel-good chemicals.

Encourages focusing on the end result and the positive impact of one's work.

The importance of looking forward to something enjoyable after completing hard work.

Suggests visualizing a positive outcome to reduce stress and increase motivation.

The podcast offers a free Mastermind session for further insights into the impact of hard work on the brain.

Invites listeners to ask questions and seek clarification on the topic.

Encourages leaving a five-star review if the episode was found helpful.

Provides a link to the Remert Method website for more information on their coaching services.

Ends with a message of love and encouragement for the listeners.

Transcripts

[Music]

welcome to Beyond limits empowering

coaches and entrepreneurs I'm Steve

Remer and I'm odal remit get ready for a

podcast that challenges everything you

thought you knew we're the founders of

the remit method ready to shake up your

mindset break through doubts fears and

limiting beliefs and ignite your true

potential join us for inspiring

conversations and strategies you won't

hear anywhere else

this is beyond limits empowering coaches

and

entrepreneurs subscribe now and get

ready to redefine what's

possible for today's topic I wanted to

talk about the big lie around hard work

working hard I think this is such an

important topic because it is such a

conditioned for so many of us we we're

raised with the understanding the belief

the conditioning that working hard is

number one so important number two

admirable and number three the only way

to get results and to be successful

there's a lot of people out there who

say you know work smart not hard and

that's fair enough but that's not what I

wanted to talk about today what I want

to talk about today is the effect on the

brain and body of working hard and how

counterproductive it can be and then I'm

going to also give you some tips for

achieving what you want to achieve

whether you're working hard or not so

first of all the definition of working

hard most of us think of working hard as

a lot of effort a lot of time put in

perhaps sacrificing things but if you

think about it there's a difference in

the inner experience for each person who

may be putting the same effort into an

activity and what I mean by that is for

Steve working hard in the garden it's

working hard but he has a very different

inner experience I would have if I was

working hard in the garden so Steve

loves gardening so he's putting in a lot

of effort a lot of time and it can feel

physically taxing but his inner

experience is very different to his

inner experience would be if he was

doing what I do and working hard so I do

all the admin the uh social media of our

business emails creating content

connecting with people answering

questions on our social media all of

that and I work hard at that so in other

words I put a lot of effort a lot of

time into it but I enjoy it so my inner

experience of doing working hard at that

is very different to what Steve's inner

experience for doing that so the

defining Factor here is how your feeling

inside working hard and feeling stressed

working hard and feeling resentful or

resistant or working hard and feeling

frustrated and wishing you didn't have

to do it that is what makes the

difference versus working hard and

getting something done getting a sense

of achievement enjoying the process

looking forward to the results so that

is what makes the difference not how

hard you're working not the activity

you're doing and I'm going to tell you

exactly why that's what makes the

difference because this is isn't just

about how you're feeling this is about

the effect of the chemical State on your

brain and body that impact the results

you get so for example stress chemicals

that create negative emotions so if

you're feeling frustrated if you're

feeling anxious if you're feeling

worried angry resentful all of those

kinds of negative emotions one of the

effects of those stress chemicals in the

system is that they cause blood to drain

from the pre cortex of the brain to the

back of the brain because they for

survival and the result of that is that

you don't have access to your cognitive

thinking so your ability to problem

solve and be creative and come up with

options that you hadn't thought of

before your communication skills all of

that is impacted by those chemicals so

if you're working hard and you're

feeling any negative emotion the results

you get are not going to be as good as

they can be if you were working hard and

feeling good about it Steve doing what I

do he wouldn't get the results I get

because I enjoy what I'm doing even

though we could put the same amount of

effort in and work as hard and when

you're working hard and it feels good it

either feels rewarding or it feels

enjoyable or you're excited about it or

you're thinking of the end result in

other words how many people are going to

be helped by what you're doing all of

those positive emotions are caused by

feel-good chemicals in your system

endorphin serotonin oxytocin that brings

blood back to the prefontal cortex of

your brain and keeps it there which

means any effort you're putting in

you're getting the most out of it

because you can think clearly so the

tips I want to give you is if you are

enjoying the hard work you're doing

fantastic the achievement that you will

get is from the combination of the

effort you're putting in and the

feel-good chemicals in your system if

you're not feeling good about working

hard in other words if you're stressed

if you're worried if you're frustrated

if you are resistant to doing it wishing

you could do something else then take a

step back press pause and assess first

of all do you have to do this thing in

other words is there something else you

can do or is there someone else who

could do it for you bearing in mind that

the hard work itself is not what will

get you the result so you know as I was

saying that it's the chemical State

that's going to get you the result

regardless of what you're physically

doing the question to ask yourself is am

I working this hard or doing this hard

work because I think I have to or

because I was conditioned to believe

that I have to work hard in order to

either be valuable or to achieve results

and then double check that with yourself

so can someone else do it is there some

other way I can get this result where

I'm not feeling negative while I'm

working hard that's number one the

second point is if it is something that

you do have to do for many of us taxes

are a thing so tax returns or accounts

or for some people admin is hard work or

social media or promoting your business

or even physical tasks if it's something

that you have to do and you don't enjoy

it so and you're stressed or you feel

resentful or you feel worried or anxious

then do this press pause first and make

sure that you get into a Feelgood state

before you start doing that work so

rather than just pushing yourself or

forcing yourself or feeling bad about

not doing it take some time out

specifically to bring the prefrontal

cortex of your brain online so that you

get the most out of what you do and ways

to do that you'll know that you've got

the cognitive thinking part of your

brain online when you're feeling good

because lowering the level of stress

chemicals increasing the level of

feel-good chemicals in your system

allows blood to come back to that part

of your brain so ways to do that listen

to music you love before you do the work

go for a walk listening to an uplifting

audio book or do some other form of

physical exercise think about things

you're looking forward to have something

to look forward to after you've done

this work so that you're not working

hard for the sake of working hard you're

going to get something done and then

you're going to have fun do something

you love spend time with people you love

play with your pets other ideas just

take a deep breath and imagine being

surrounded by your favorite color even

doing just that can bring down the

stress chemicals and start the feel-

good chemicals whatever it is that gets

you into that state of feeling good and

looking forward to something oh another

thing you can do is look at the end

result so you're doing this activity but

what's the end result we tend to get

very bogged down sometimes with the hard

work as opposed to thinking of that one

person whose life is going to be changed

if we manage to get this done and that's

one of the most powerful things you can

do so as you are planning to do whatever

you have to do rather than thinking of

it as hard work get excited for the end

result get excited for that one person

who doesn't know yet that their life is

going to be changed because you got this

work done so whatever it takes to get

into that state of feeling good and

looking forward to something or looking

forward to the end result and then do

what you can to enjoy the process if if

you can at the very least look forward

to it being done because then whatever

activity you're doing you're going to

get a much better result because you've

got the cognitive thinking part of your

brain online so then working hard

feeling good that'll get you the results

if you would like to learn more about

how the impact of hard work and how

you're feeling and even your childhood

has on your brain and if you would like

to get more out of your brain we have a

free Mastermind that you can enroll in

you can sign up for it's only about 38

minutes and the link is in the

description so I hope that's helpful of

course as always let me know if you have

any questions or need clarification on

anything I love answering questions and

I love sharing this information so pop

those questions in the comments if you

have

[Music]

any thanks for tuning in to Beyond

limits empowering coaches and

entrepreneurs we hope you found this

episode enlightening inspiring and

helpful and if you did please do

consider leaving us a five-star review

so that others can benefit as well

subscribe for more inspiration and

strategies to fuel your success for more

information on working with us visit our

website the remert method.com that's

remert R mm eert theer method.com

sending you love and encouragement and

until next time

[Music]