The good book says that in all labour there is profit and saying goes- hard work pays. I have had a couple of heated debates with young people on the aspect of hard work. They tend to insist on the concept of smart work and I am over the view that you can’t successfully work smart until you master the basics of hard work. The smart work philosophy often times sounds more like a laziness approach to work. There is limited creativity, innovativeness and drive for consistent hard work.
My study of different biographies and success secrets of different successful people has led me to the conclusion that hard work is inevitable for success in life. In my opinion, all successful people work long and hard. They start earlier, they work harder, and they stay later. They develop a reputation for being amongst the hardest working people in their fields. And everybody knows it.
Hard work is not necessarily about hard labour and toil, it is a combination of efficiency, effectiveness, resilience and persistence. The combination of this four is what I attribute to hard work. When you commit yourself to work hard, there is no doubt that you will succeed. The key is to work all the time you work. When you work, don’t waste time. When you get in early, put your head down and get started immediately. When people want to talk to you, excuse yourself and continue focusing.
There are people that come in early only to waste their days on social media. No doubt they look busy but their productivity is very low. Others work to impress their bosses and supervisors. People who are successful work hard as a habit and principle. They do so whether anyone is watching or not. They are not seeking for approval but rather accomplishment and fulfillment.
A simple question to consider, if someone was to work the way you currently work in your company, would you be happy to pay then what you are earning? If that raises a guilt feeling, then you know it is time to style up and to up your game this year. If you are at work, be present in every sense of the work, give it your best so that when you go to rest you can rest with a sense of fulfillment.
Master the art of working hard before you start riding on the tides of working smart.
