You can lose money and earn it back.
You can lose time and never get it back.
It is a truth every entrepreneur eventually learns, usually the hard way.
We often hear people say, “Work smart, not hard,” or “There’s plenty of time to chase your dreams later.”
It sounds liberating, almost poetic, until you meet those who chose a different path, the ones who worked hard early and now own the future others are still renting.
The reality is simple. Building something meaningful takes sweat, sacrifice and many seasons of saying “no” to comfort. There is no shortcut, no motivational reel and no secret formula that replaces the grind.
In this edition of CEO Voice, I want to share why the best time to work hard is when you are young, not when you are tired, indebted or running to catch up.
Youth Is Your Most Valuable Capital
When you’re young, your greatest asset isn’t money or connections. It’s energy. You can recover faster, take bigger risks and fail more often because you still have time to rebuild.
Fail five times before thirty and you will gain wisdom. Fail five times after forty and the margin for error becomes much smaller.
Your twenties are your compounding years. The same way early investments multiply wealth, early effort multiplies skill, experience and credibility.
If you plant consistency in your twenties, you will harvest freedom in your thirties.
If you reverse that order, you will spend your best years chasing what discipline could have already earned you.
Foundations Before Freedom
Every successful founder I know built their freedom on years of focused struggle. Those long nights, lonely days, and “no-weekend” seasons aren’t punishments. They are the foundation.
Freedom is not given; it is built brick by brick through years of focus.
Hard work in your twenties buys options in your thirties. It gives you control to choose projects that excite you, invest in things that matter and spend time with people you love.
The harsh truth? You can decorate a house later, but without a solid foundation the walls will eventually crack.
Passion Is Earned Through Effort
Many people delay working hard because they are still looking for their passion. But passion is rarely found. It is built.
When you commit to mastering something, competence builds confidence, and confidence builds enjoyment. That is how passion is born.
You will not discover passion sitting still. You will discover it by showing up, even on the days you do not feel like it.
Start anywhere, as long as you start. Skill turns work into art.
The Illusion of “Balance”
Social media often tells us that balance is possible from day one. That you can build a company, travel, rest eight hours and still achieve greatness.
Reality is different. Work-life balance is not a starting point. It is an outcome. It is the dividend you earn after years of discipline.
The first phase of entrepreneurship is unbalanced by design. You will learn faster than your peers, fail more often than your friends and sacrifice weekends while others relax.
It is not unhealthy. It is necessary.
Balance is not about equal hours. It is about earned autonomy, the ability to choose how you spend your time because you have already built your base.
Pain Is the Price of Growth
Every entrepreneur faces moments of doubt. You will question if the struggle is worth it when others seem to be living better. But pain is not punishment. It is tuition.
The long nights teach patience. The failures teach humility. The small wins teach resilience. Every hard season adds a layer of strength you will need later.
Diamonds form under pressure, not under pillows.
Regret is heavier than discipline.
You can recover from exhaustion. You cannot recover from wasted potential.
Why Now Matters More Than Ever
The world is moving faster than ever. Technology, automation and global competition have raised the bar for everyone. The opportunities are immense, but so is the pace.
Your twenties and thirties are the window where you can move quickly, learn deeply and adapt without fear. That is your advantage.
Speed is a young person’s superpower. Do not waste it waiting for the perfect moment.
Work hard now, because the marketplace will not wait.
How to Work Hard (and Smart)
Working hard is not about burning out. It is about focusing on what truly compounds.
✅ Build skills before titles. Learn marketing, finance, negotiation and storytelling. The toolkit matters more than the label.
✅ Find mentors. The right advice early saves you years later.
✅ Surround yourself with builders. Energy is contagious; so is laziness.
✅ Respect the grind. The days you show up tired count double.
✅ Reflect often. Hard work without direction burns you out. Hard work with purpose builds you up.
Hard work without reflection burns you out. Hard work with purpose builds you up.
A CEO’s Reflection
At The Ledger Asia, we’ve seen it across industries: those who endure the early years of discipline rise faster and stay stronger. The entrepreneurs who commit early, learning, building, failing, trying again, become the ones who later define the industries others merely follow.
Work hard while you are young, not because you should suffer, but because you are building capacity.
Enjoyment is sweeter when it’s backed by achievement.
Do not aim to live easy. Aim to live earned.
Wake up early (P.S. I wake up at 4:30am 😅). Say yes to challenges. Push through discomfort. You are not just working for today’s paycheck. You are investing in tomorrow’s freedom.
Because someday, when others begin their climb, you will already be standing on the summit you built in your younger days.
— Edwin Wong
CEO & Founder, The Ledger Asia
