James GreenGeneral Partner, DQventures · 🚀 Helping still-employed professionals launch their own business (without quitting first) | GP @

Working hard vs working with meaning

2 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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In this segment, the speaker reflects on a common sentiment among professionals: many feel disconnected from their work because it does not align with their personal passions or goals. He argues that while hard work is universally required—whether at a Big‑5 consultancy with demanding travel schedules or as a self‑employed individual—the true value of work comes from pursuing projects that resonate with one’s own interests. The key distinction he draws is that hard work alone does not provide meaning; meaning emerges when work is purpose‑driven and aligned with personal aspirations.

We speak to a lot of professionals working in jobs, and I think overriding impression I get is that they just don't care about the work they're doing. I don't care about this. I don't care about this project. It's got nothing to do with my passion, my goals. And like you said, I don't think people are scared of hard work. Yeah. You know, everyone knows you have to work hard no matter what you do. You're making a difference. And you're working hard if you're working for a Big 5 consultancy, traveling all over the world, doing crazy hours. You're also working hard if you're working for yourself, but it gives you meaning if you are pursuing the thing that you're really passionate about. I think that's the big difference.