It’s funny. Over and over I see the glorification of ‘hustle’ on social media and I smirk.

People with inflated egos and glamourised lives espousing the virtues of grind without the results or substance to show for it.

Every year I talk to hundreds of business owners and I know that what’s portrayed on the surface isn’t the reality. It’s all just marketing and hot air. Looking good, going nowhere.

Hard work isn’t something to boast about. Bringing value to the world requires your ability to solve problems. If you’re to add any real value, the problems will be big, entrenched and complex. The work is going to be hard. That’s the game. Get over it and get on with it.

When rhetoric overtakes results you’re closer to a politician than a maker. Maker’s don’t shout from the rooftops about how difficult the process is – they share their discoveries. They relish in results. They quietly fight for an answer, a path and an outcome – celebrating when they arrive and going back to the drawing board when they don’t.

Just remember, for every minute you’re pumping up reality, you’re actually losing your grip on reality. Put your head down, lean in and get back to work. Quietly and effectively. Piece by piece. Play by play. That’s how winners win.

Don’t talk about being a producer.

Be one.