It’s Okay to be Proud, but Romanticizing Struggle?
Um, I don’t know about that
It’s surprising (but not really) that one of the most common limiting beliefs still gets them:
“Hard work is the only way to make it through life."
They’re referring to blood, sweat, tears, annoyance, headaches, pains, and so much more that they hold inside to hustle and make money.
It’s clear that too many people see life as something that’s meant to be a struggling race, which is why people continue to grow up believing that life just has to be uncomfortable.
We need to redefine what life should be
A lot of people don’t admit that they would love to have a nicer home, a larger space, a nicer car, or even not have to work as much. It’s a natural human desire to want nice things, but many pretend that they don’t. Why?
They feel empowered by the struggle, but it’s not really cute.
My parents, for example, complain about prices increasing (by only a couple of cents), but they ignore income opportunities, income streams, and other people’s suggestions to ease their financial situations.
There are millions of others just like them. They choose to stay in a challenging struggling place because that’s what they grew up knowing.
The Immigrant Mantra~ ¡Hay que luchar!
In Spanish, we have the words “luchador" and “trabajador.” It translates to hard-working (for a man. Substitute the ‘o’ with an ‘a’ for a woman.)
In Latin America, we respect the people who tire themselves all day to make money for themselves and their families. It’s a very prideful thing to struggle. It’s synonymous to the agony that commonly describes corporate America; you work a job you don’t like for an hour and get paid an hour; you work 2 hours; you get paid 2 hours.
Work Smarter, Not Harder. Uh-uh, It's The Other Way Around.
The arising problem is when those who come from poverty in other countries come to the US and live life as if they’re still in poverty.
My parents, who come from Honduras, still do things the hard way, the longer way, the painful way, the tough way, and and expect me to do the same. It’s no surprise that the only money making opportunities they’re familiar with are tough 9-5’s and selling things.
Like many other Latino parents, they’ve pushed on me the idea of making a living by struggling and challenging myself; in essence, being uncomfortable.
Now if you don’t work, don’t want to work, or quit a 9–5, there’s a bit of criticism coming your way, because you're a “bago” and “vas a ver que de aquí a unos años, no vas a tener con que vivir.” [lazy; you’re going to see how in a couple of years, you’re not going to have money to live off of.]
- Irony #1: They’ll speak badly about people who don’t want to make a living struggling to work a tough job, while they’re the ones who end up struggling financially and lacking time freedom.
- Irony #2: They say making money through a client, customers, companies, stocks, and dividends isn’t secure, but you can get fired at any time in the corporate world. You also don’t get paid more if you do more.
- Irony #3: They say hard work pays off, but why are you still working at 60? It’s assumed that you eventually should enjoy your work but if you have to continuously work, then you’re continuously running out of your reward. So where’s the payoff?
We need to redefine what life should be.
Let’s stop thinking that the decades we spend on this earth earning a living have to be agonizing. Let’s stop shaming people for living comfortably without killing themselves every day. Let's instead help people to be happy.
