The Journal. · Sunday, August 2, 2026
Laura Mair, author of the memoir "Try Hard," discusses the societal pressure to constantly demonstrate effort and the potential downsides of being a "try-hard." She suggests that this tendency can extend beyond professional advancement to an addiction to the process of showing up and striving for perfection, which can be exhausting and even embarrassing when effort is visible.
“A try-hard in popular culture, I think, is someone who is just really out there doing stuff on behalf of themselves in order to get picked for something, a pick-me.”
“I think that being a try-hard is, unfortunately, something that goes beyond just work.”
“It's less about the advancement and it's more about being addicted to the process of showing up.”