Meet Aubrey Davis

We were lucky to catch up with Aubrey Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Aubrey, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Hard work is so 1995…

Let me explain; I grew up immersed in American culture as much as anyone, and I bought into the American ideals around hard work more than most. I’ve been an “achiever” type since I was a kid (I’m an enneagram 3). Hard work was close to religion in my world. Growing up, I thought, NO, I KNEW that hard work makes you a good person. I remember crying over my homework starting in fourth grade. Even though I battled undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia, I masked it so intensely that no one would have guessed, and my stellar grades certainly didn’t show it. I was used to working twice as hard as everyone else for my grades, and I thought this could only serve me well because hard work not only makes you a good person, it also makes you successful… right?

When I entered the work world after college, I knew only one speed—hustle so hard it hurts. So, this is what I applied to my jobs. I did what I was asked to do, and then I did three times more. I had blind faith (almost religious faith) that the work world was built to reward me for giving all of myself. Even if it took a while, eventually, the recognition would come because that is the rule of our culture… right?

I took on projects that people twice my age and with twice my experience ran away from. I traded my physical health, mental health, relationships, and desire to start a family to design and build buildings for corporations who would eventually recognize my sacrifice with a giant gesture of appreciation… right?

The answer to the questions above was no. Not only was there never any recognition for the hard work, but the work was often not even used. Looking back I realize that corporations often use people “or headcount” as tool to manipulate stock value. Today, the documents are lost on servers somewhere, and the multi-million-dollar buildings we built are not even occupied. These corporations don’t remember the work that was done and they certainly don’t remember me. If a moment of recognition ever takes place, it is undoubtedly just a middle-aged, middle management, white man who is borrowing credit for something he merely witnessed.

So, we should all just eat a cheeseburger and take a nap… just kidding.

My rant is not anti-work; my point is that our idea of work can evolve as our culture evolves. Our culture has long held hard work up as the litmus test for goodness and worthiness, but I think we can do better than that. I think we can do better than hard work. I don’t think an effort is good simply because it is difficult or time-consuming.

I see many of my peers struggling with a misalignment of ideals born from an American filled with factories and now forced on an American quickly embracing artificial intelligence, working from home, and millennials who are embarking on parenthood.

In 2024, it is time to place more weight on the impact of an effort and less on the effort exerted, and further, we must recognize that the source of great work is often inspiration rather than toil. Can work be both inspired and difficult? Of course, it can, and it will be a blend of both, but in my life, I have noticed that my most impactful work comes from a source of creative inspiration that I can only tap into if I am not depleted by hard work.

At 44, I am finally turning my back on the hard work trap. I left the corporate world in favor of building something inspired, and I am aggressively seeking opportunities to impact more people by doing inspired work that comes easily to me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
For twenty years, I have designed and remodeled houses and other buildings. I have worked with clients one at a time for a high cost, but now I am leveraging everything I
know about interior design and remodeling into one product that can help many. This
month, I am releasing a book, and soon, I will launch an online platform to help as many
people as I can design their dream home and build it without living through a
construction nightmare.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I mentioned before that the source of great work is often inspiration rather than toil. As an entrepreneur, I think it is important to discover how you best tap into your inspiration
or find a flow state. Flow state is that feeling where you work on something for hours,
but it feels like five minutes.
Next, it’s crucial to understand your impact. Get to know who you are serving and
remember that being impactful to this group of people is more important than being
perfect or just working hard for the sake of working hard.
Finally, regularly check in with your inspiration and impact. If you are in a job that is
wasting your time and talent, start building space in your life to tap into inspiration and
impact others. A new path will emerge!

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My first book is the perfect starting point for anyone considering embarking on a home renovation, and I will share all the subsequent tools you need if you come on this
journey with me. The next opportunity will be to work with me in a beta group for my
signature interior design program. Please come apply for the waitlist now if you are
interested! I can’t wait to hear about you and your home!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
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