The Right Way Is the Hard Way
The hard way: why difficult, sometimes unpleasant work can lead to better results, and why shortcuts are not always the answer.
Why “The right way is the hard way” matters to me
“The right way is the hard way” is more than just a saying. It’s a philosophy of life that makes the difference between mediocrity and excellence. In episode 99 of Project Mindset, Reza Mehman discusses why we should stop looking for shortcuts and instead consciously choose the difficult path. A quote from Jerry Seinfeld inspired this episode. Reza explores why close involvement and working through unpleasant tasks can lead to outstanding results. Whether it’s a podcast, event planning, or a startup: anyone who wants to achieve greatness must be prepared to take the hard road. This episode speaks to anyone working on an important project. Delegating can be tempting, even when you know your own involvement matters for the result.
Hard way: the episode in brief
In one sentence: Excellent results require doing difficult, unpleasant work yourself. Looking for shortcuts or delegation alone will not get you there.
In three sentences: Reza Mehman reflects on why he can hardly delegate tasks in his most important projects without compromising quality. A quote from Jerry Seinfeld confirms his experience: “Efficiency is often the wrong way, because true success comes from meticulous, painstaking work. The hard way is not only unavoidable, but the only path to excellence.”
In five sentences: Episode 99 of Project Mindset tackles the uncomfortable truth that shortcuts rarely lead to the best results. Reza shares his experiences from podcast production, event planning, and his time at a startup, where he repeatedly discovered that delegation has its limits. Even with the best communication, often only 80 percent of one’s vision reaches the other person. Jerry Seinfeld’s secret to success with his legendary sitcom was total control over every word, every line, every cut. The message is clear: those who want to achieve greatness must persevere through the pain of unpleasant work.
Context: Who, What, Why
Who is speaking: Reza Mehman, host of the Project Mindset podcast, entrepreneur and mindset coach, who reports from his own experience with startups, events and content creation.
What is it about: Can we choose the easy option and delegate tasks in important projects? Or does excellent work require taking the hard way? The impetus is a quote from Jerry Seinfeld, which Reza sees as confirming his own working methods.
Why is this relevant? Life hacks, productivity tips and delegation strategies are everywhere. They can obscure the value of personal commitment and difficult work when you want outstanding results.
Three key questions of the episode:
- Can I delegate tasks in important projects without losing quality?
- Why is the efficient way often the wrong way, according to Jerry Seinfeld?
- How do I deal with unpleasant work when motivation alone is not enough?
Table of contents
- Introduction – Why the hard way leads to the best result
- Summary – The core message in brief
- context – Background information on speaker and topic
- Table of contents – All sections at a glance
- Topics and classification – The central themes of the episode
- Key messages – The most important messages at a glance
- Frequently Asked Questions – Answers to the most important questions
- Highlight quotes – The most striking statements of the episode
- Transcript – The full text
- Keywords – Relevant search terms
- Names and terms – Important references
- Quotable passage – For sharing and quoting
Topics and classification
1. The hard road as a path to success
The central thesis of the episode: Excellence does not arise from efficiency and shortcuts, but from meticulous personal work and the willingness to take on unpleasant tasks oneself.
Keywords: hard road, excellence, unpleasant work
2. The limits of delegation
Reza describes from his own experience why delegation reaches its limits in personal projects and why even the best communication often only conveys 80 percent of one’s own vision.
Keywords: Delegation, handing over tasks, communication
3. Jerry Seinfeld’s Philosophy of Success
Jerry Seinfeld’s quote serves as confirmation and inspiration: micromanagement and personal control over every detail were the key to the success of his legendary sitcom.
Keywords: Jerry Seinfeld, micromanagement, secret to success
4. Discipline instead of motivation
Even after 99 episodes of Project Mindset, there are still ups and downs. Reza emphasizes that discipline and consistency are more important than short-term motivation, especially when the work becomes unpleasant.
Keywords: Discipline, Consistency, Motivation
5. Presence and aura as inspiration
The introduction via Bojan Bidenow, founder and conductor of the Mannheim Philharmonic, shows how presence and dedication to one’s craft create a special charisma.
Keywords: Praesenz, Aura, Bojan Bidenow
Key messages
- The hard way is the only way to excellence. Shortcuts lead to mediocre results.
- Even with the best communication, often only 80 percent of one’s own vision reaches the other person.
- Jerry Seinfeld attributes the success of his sitcom to total control: every word, every line, every cut.
- If a project is truly important to you, you cannot delegate the crucial tasks.
- Even things that are fun aren’t automatically easy. Ups and downs are part of it.
- Discipline is more important than motivation, especially when it comes to unpleasant work.
- Life hacks and efficiency tips are no substitute for hard, personal work on what is important to you.
- Consistency across 99 podcast episodes is not achieved through motivation, but through conscious decision.
- The desire to delegate tasks is natural. But one must honestly assess whether the result still meets one’s own standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was bedeutet “The right way is the hard way”?
This means that the path to outstanding results almost always leads through hard, unpleasant work. Shortcuts and efficiency tricks rarely deliver the same quality as personal, meticulous effort.
Who said the quote about efficiency and the hard way?
The quote comes from Jerry Seinfeld, the actor and creator of the legendary US sitcom “Seinfeld”. He said: “If you ‘re efficient, you ‘re doing it the wrong way. The right way is the hard way.”
Why is delegating important projects so difficult?
According to Reza Mehman, the reason is that one often cannot communicate one’s vision 100 percent. Even with the best collaboration, often only about 80 percent of one’s own idea reaches the other person, which leads to deviations from the desired result.
How does Reza Mehman maintain discipline for 99 podcast episodes?
Reza emphasizes that he consciously avoids focusing on motivation and instead relies on discipline and consistency. He remembers his own values during difficult times and is supported by the feedback from his community.
What does Jerry Seinfeld’s secret to success have to do with everyday life?
Seinfeld’s principle of micromanagement can be applied to any personal project. Whether it’s a podcast, an event, or a startup: those who control every detail themselves and persevere through unpleasant tasks achieve better results than those who take the easy way out.
Does that mean you shouldn’t delegate anything at all?
No, you can certainly delegate less crucial tasks. But if you’re aiming for excellence, you should handle the core tasks that significantly shape the outcome yourself.
Who is Boyan Bidenov, who is mentioned in the episode?
Bojan Bidenow is the founder and conductor of the Mannheim Philharmonic. Reza describes him as a personality with an impressive presence and aura, serving as an example of dedication to one’s craft.
Highlight quotes
“If youre efficient, youre doing it the wrong way. The right way is the hard way.”
– Jerry Seinfeld, quoted by Reza Mehman
“If I want it to be a really great podcast or a really great event, then I have to go through this unpleasant work, through this pain.”
– Reza Mehman
“I can’t communicate precisely what I actually want. The other person might not even have the same interest as me in getting such a great outcome.”
– Reza Mehman
“Even if something is fun, it doesn’t mean it will automatically fall easily; in fact, there are highs and lows to it.”
– Reza Mehman
“I try to be completely detached from the topic of motivation. To say that I’m doing this purely for the sake of discipline, also for myself.”
– Reza Mehman
“It’s simply a fact that the hard way is the only way to truly achieve excellence in any form.”
– Reza Mehman
The full conversation
Hi everyone and welcome to Project Mindset, the channel for all those who know that with the right mindset, anything is possible. Last week I had a super interesting podcast with someone—well, I had someone as a guest on my podcast, and this person, I’ll mention their name and what they do for a living in a moment—this person, and I had expected this, practically commanded the entire attention of the room as soon as they walked in, and that really impressed me, to be honest.
Perhaps you also know people like that, who enter a room and you immediately look to see who they are; they practically fill the entire space, they’re incredibly present, they have a certain aura about them. And I think it’s no coincidence that the guest I had with me is named Bojan Bidenow. He’s also the founder and conductor of the Mannheim Philharmonic, incredibly interesting personalities, and I believe, of course, that as a conductor you need that kind of aura around you.
You enter a concert hall, and all the musicians there—60 musicians, the entire hall, the audience, and so on—are all focused on the conductor. And I think that’s essential for a conductor, and I experienced it firsthand. The incredible presence Bojan had in that moment when we spoke made for a super interesting podcast. So I’m really looking forward to the release. We talked, of course, about his Mannheim Philharmonic. We discussed the honesty and purity of the music, which I found incredibly interesting—what it means to be present.
A preview of the conversation with Boian Videnoff
I asked him if it’s even possible to learn to be so present, to have such an aura around you. We talked about gratitude. But as I said, the podcast is coming out soon, and I have to say, I was really moved by it. Bojan was able to convey this sense of being in the moment so well. And yes, I’m extremely excited for the podcast. I’m really looking forward to it. By the way, on days when I’m interviewing a guest, I also typically make behind-the-scenes recordings.
Mainly via Instagram, specifically Instagram Stories. So if you’re interested, feel free to follow me on Instagram. I occasionally comment on the podcast, giving you a behind-the-scenes look. There’s bound to be something interesting there if you want to learn a bit more about the podcast stories from me. Okay, now let’s get to the actual topic of today’s podcast. I need to give you a little background on how I came up with today’s podcast topic. It’s about the following.
I occasionally take on various projects, like the podcast or the event I recently organized—Dinner at the Castle, or so it was called. And I’ve noticed that I’m obviously putting a lot of energy and attention into them. But sometimes I get this urge to delegate some tasks so I can save a bit of time and have a clearer head for other things. Maybe you know what I mean.
When a project is too important to delegate
Maybe you’re currently working on a project or something that you think, “Wow, I’d really like to hand this off, let someone else take over.” But somehow the project is so important to me that I feel like I’m the only one who can really handle it. And that’s obviously frustrating. You’re caught in a bit of a dilemma. On the one hand, you want to save time on the task at hand. On the other hand, it’s difficult to delegate. So, naturally, you start looking for life hacks, tricks, and tips on how to make your life easier, how to have a little less work, or at least less unpleasant work, because not everything you do, even a hobby, is automatically enjoyable.
And I’ve been thinking, in the aftermath of, say, a complex podcast or something similar, what tasks can I delegate? And interestingly, most of the time I get the impression that I can hardly delegate anything at all. It’s a bit like when you’ve celebrated a wedding or an important birthday or whatever, where you thought, okay, I can maybe delegate a bit of the cake baking or something, but what kind of cake it is is important to me.
One’s own expectations for the result
This might be a strange example. But maybe you understand what I mean. It’s something important, a task, a project, an event, or whatever. But you can’t really delegate anything because you want it implemented exactly as you envision it, exactly how it should look. And I’ve actually asked myself this question repeatedly over the past weeks, months, and years: when I’m working on something important, what can I actually delegate?
Continued
Then I realized I can’t delegate any of it because I know perfectly well that if I give it to someone else, I can’t communicate precisely what I actually want. The other person might not even have the same interest as me in achieving such a great outcome. And fortunately, because I was a bit disappointed that I always end up having to do all the work myself, I had recently read a quote from Jerry Seinfeld.
Jerry Seinfeld is the star of, I believe, one of the most successful US sitcoms of all time, named after himself, Seinfeld. And he said something that I find incredibly interesting. I think it’s best if I read the quote aloud. I found it very reassuring and inspiring at the same time to know that someone like Jerry Seinfeld, who truly created something great with his sitcom, said, “Hey, if you want it to be a huge success, no matter what you’re doing, then you basically have to do it yourself.”
It’s not that the others might not be capable of it, but it’s usually because you can’t communicate exactly what you want, one-to-one. That experience has repeated itself many times. Back then, I had a startup; you might know my startup story. I had a co-founder with whom I had an almost telepathic understanding. But in certain situations, I noticed, for example, when I communicated an idea or a task, that apparently only about 80 percent of what I said was actually received.
Why understanding takes time
And that’s incredibly interesting, because even though we got along so well, I couldn’t fully convey what I actually wanted to. Sometimes, after a day or two, I’d realize, wow, he’s actually going in a completely different direction than I intended. Then we had to reassess, redo everything, invest a lot of time to ensure we were truly thinking the same thing at that moment as we were communicating. And this quote, in a way, conveyed to me a sense of calm and purpose: that if you want to achieve something truly great, you simply have to put in a lot of work, including a lot of unpleasant work, or work you might not particularly enjoy, but know you have to do.
For example, with a podcast, you also have to do the editing afterwards, and so on and so forth; with event planning, you have to do the preparation, and so on. You can’t delegate everything. You can maybe delegate parts, like baking a cake, and maybe the cake isn’t even that important to me at that moment. But if I want it to be a great, really great podcast or a really great event, then I have to go through that unpleasant work, that pain, myself. But it’s simply part of the process that the hard way, so to speak, is the only way to truly achieve excellence in any form.
Consciously accept unpleasant work
I’m not sure if today’s podcast episode will effectively convey my key messages to everyone. Perhaps it will resonate with those currently working on something that involves a lot of unpleasant tasks, a lot of preparation time, and where they’re wondering what they can delegate, but they can’t just hand everything off at once. What I really want to say today is, hey, sometimes you simply have to put in a lot of work, put in the effort yourself. You can’t delegate it.
The best example is, we’re now on episode 99 of Project Mindset. I obviously can’t just ask someone else, “Hey, can you please do episode 99 of Project Mindset?” That wouldn’t work, because I produce the podcast myself. The people listening here probably want to hear me before the podcast. That means I also have to go through these unpleasant tasks myself, whenever they arise in any form. Great, folks, as I said, that was episode 99.
This is an episode of Project Mindset. For me, time has flown by incredibly fast. I also plan to continue for a long time. The 100th episode of Project Mindset is already something I look forward to. I’ve prepared a few little specials for it. But I also want to be honest, of course, it hasn’t all been easy for me over the months and years. At times, I’ve had to remind myself of my own discipline, of the importance of consistency. I can’t exactly talk about having discipline and consistency on the podcast and then somehow quit after 40 episodes of Project Mindset.
Discipline even without motivation
Of course, I also have my ups and downs when it comes to motivation. But, as you know me, with Project Mindset, I try to be completely detached from the topic of motivation. To say that I’m doing this purely for the sake of discipline, for myself as well. I really enjoy the podcast. And as I said, I plan to continue doing this for a long time. If it sometimes comes across as if it was totally easy for me, no, it isn’t. Even if something is fun, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s easy; there are definitely highs and lows.
Continued
And I really want to thank everyone who supports me, who have been with me practically since the very first episodes, who write me feedback. I receive messages online, whether on LinkedIn or Instagram, from friends who listen to my podcast, and from people who write to me on WhatsApp. That means a great deal to me. I want to thank you all for your support over this entire time. It truly means a lot to me and has probably helped me through some difficult times when I thought I could take a break from the podcast. It carried me through because I knew there were some people who were looking forward to listening to my Project Mindset episodes, and for that I am incredibly grateful.
Great, that’s all for today. We’ll talk again next time, and that will be the 100th episode. I’m really looking forward to it. Thank you so much for all your support. See you again soon, and don’t forget, mindset is everything.
This transcript was automatically generated using Whisper AI and may contain occasional errors.
Keywords
Tags: the right way is the hard way, unpleasant work, Jerry Seinfeld quote, achieving excellence, discipline instead of motivation, delegating tasks, hard road to success, mindset podcast, project mindset, consistency, micromanagement, leaving your comfort zone, self-discipline, personal growth, Reza Mehman
Names and terms
Reza Mehman, Project Mindset, Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld (US sitcom), Bojan Bidenov, Mannheim Philharmonic Orchestra, Dinner at the Castle, Lifehacks, Micromanagement, Delegation, Excellence, Discipline, Consistency, Comfort Zone, Hard Way, Startup, Co-Founder, Behind the Scenes, Instagram, LinkedIn
Quotable passage
The hard way is the only way to excellence, because shortcuts only deliver mediocre results.
Jerry Seinfeld summed it up perfectly: those who work efficiently are doing it wrong, because true success comes from meticulous control over every detail.
Even with the best communication, only 80 percent of one’s own vision reaches the other party, which is why the crucial tasks must remain in one’s own hands.
Discipline and consistency trump short-term motivation, especially when work becomes unpleasant.
You can find more thoughts on work and personal development at Project Mindset.
Prefer listening? Explore the original Project Mindset podcast recordings.
