What Does It Mean to Work Hard?

We always hear this term "work hard", like in the context of succeeding at something. I have always had a problem understanding what this means, because to me working hard means hard work. Like all cliche's the meaning gets lost in the repetition. Take, for example, the phrase "no pain, no gain". Not only is its meaning weakened over time and overuse, but most us know now that it is false. One does not have to suffer for improvement, we can actually enjoy learning and growing and finding success without any pain at all. Pain can be a way to cause one to make necessary changes in one's processes, but it is the least important way to improve one's self. Working hard or hard work for many is a form of pain, but it doen't have to be this way.Hard work in the world I grew up in meant long hours, physically taxing activity. and pain, i.e. blisters, muscle aches, even injuries and such. My father never really worked hard that way, but my grandfathers and uncles all did, as did I when I was younger. I thought that is what it took to succeed. Big fat rasberry there; I suffered a lot, but I'm working at this now because of a lack of success elsewhere.I'm in college now, (I turn 49 in August) and my understanding of success is changing, and I am learning how to work right, instead of working hard. Diligence is required to succeed more than hard work, although hard work is included in most definitions of diligence on the internet. I think persistence is a more important aspect of diligence than hard work.My point is that we really need to come to an understanding of who we are and how we work to really find our own success. Just because the mass media monster tells us we want "more, more, more; bigger, better, faster, finer" doesn't mean we have to accept this as success. Many an A-hole possess far more than they need and it doesn't mean they succeeded at anything. What is your definition of success? This is very important to the progress we make toward the life we want to live as opposed to living up to the world's standard. Don't let anyone tell you what you need to succeed, you decide what you need. Then form a plan and diligently work at that plan until you reach your definition/destination. Then you can find another definition for success and form a different plan. But without a clear understanding of what success means to you personally your really just busting your butt for more. More, more, more is meaningless.