Hard
The Golden Week starts tomorrow and a friend who lives in Tokyo added a “workhardplayhard” hashtag to her Facebook post, which I saw recently. Work hard play hard is a motto or even a lifestyle that means working really hard but also having a lot of fun when not working or playing.
According to one online dictionary, the motto is used mostly among students who go to elite private schools or expensive highly-ranked universities; and the dictionary defines it as an attitude wherein “one works hard at school or their job while they also party on the weekends.”
Posts from people at a question-and-answer site, however, think of “work hard, play hard” differently. One commenter defined it as doing your best at what you do (work or study) but also having time to do things that you love. Another commenter said it simply means you should do your best at anything you do. One other commenter said that “place your best foot forward” and “do the best you can with what you have” are better approaches than “work hard, play hard.”
I’ve never used the motto and I don’t know if that is my approach in life, but I am excited for the Golden Week and I cannot wait to relax and not do any work for almost a week. I hope everyone else will be able to relax and play (hard or not) during the holidays.