When I was younger my mother used to make us sing this song as we did our chores, and I hated it. It went something like this, “We are the Petersons and we like to work work work! We are the Petersons and we like to work work work! We work in the morning and we work at night! We work all day because we know it’s right!” Aaaaand repeat… You can imagine how quickly this song turned into the equivalent of nails scratching on a chalk board for a young child and teenager. I eventually ventured out on my own, and have spent these past 5 years living in 6 different cities in 2 different continents. I have found that wealth, nor education, nor even religion can guarantee a man happiness unless that same man is willing to occupy his life with hard work.

In Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography he told of a voyage he took to on a ship, in which he said

“When men are employ’d, they are best content’d; for on the days they worked they were good-natured and cheerful, and, with the consciousness of having done a good day’s work, they spent the evening jollily; but on our idle days they were mutinous and quarrelsome, finding fault with their pork, the brea, etc., and in continual ill-humor.”

This passage struck me to my very being and awakened something within me. I have since tried to employ my time with activities that I have deemed productive with marvelous results. My confidence has grown, my energy has increased, and my passion for life has been reignited. Filling your life with purpose is an action verb, and it takes work. Having confidence is an action verb, and it takes work. Pursuing happiness is also an action verb, and guess what… it takes work.

I do not wish to propose that the remedy for all despair and depression is just a hard day’s work. I recognize and understand that mental illnes is a real thing and it is ugly. But I do believe that, to the best of our abilities, happiness is something that must be pursued, fought for, and exercised over time. If we truly wish to be happy, we must be willing to work at it. I spent years trying to find an easy way to be happy. I have never been more miserable. I eventually gave up on everything. I literally started sleeping 14+ hours a day in order to avoid real life. This misery festered and boiled until it seemed that my very being screamed aloud and said,“ENOUGH!” I could not run any longer nor hide any deeper from the truth.

There is no easy way to be happy.

Is hard work the secret to happiness? It’s definitely part of it. Idleness leads to ingratitude, depression and despair. When we work hard we remind ourselves that we believe that we are important… that our time is valuable…and that we are needed. If you’re not happy, what are you doing about it? If you can’t answer that question, then get up and get to work.