There is something to be said for a good work ethic. While it will not get you anywhere you want to go, is an essential piece of the puzzle of success. Now don’t get me wrong you could be the hardest worker in the world but if you don’t make use of your mind and intelligence it may not end up mattering much. A guy can dig a ditch or put in long hours at the office til the day he dies and still barely be able to afford to retire at sixty five (if that) much more likely especially with the economic changes on the horizon he is going to work until he is dead.
Hard work alone will not get you where you want to go. But the on the other hand we have a generation that gets that the work 40 hours a week is a raw deal yet thinks that they can be successful without working hard. They think with the internet combined with being fast or smooth enough they can avoid putting in the work. But unless your parents are politicians or incredibly wealthy it doesn’t work that way.
Sure there are more ways and opportunities to make money than ever before. But to truly make it you are going to have to put in the work and put in the time. You have to bust your ass to make it. You have to bust your ass to truly become a man. There is no way around this. You have to go through the fire and get shit done. You have to be a work horse however you also have to be smart. You have to be a smart work horse to make it.
There Is No Choice
There is no option whether to work hard or to work smart. You must do both. It is a waste of time to sit around and try to only pursue one. You must do both, both have advantages and both disadvantages. But as I said those don’t matter, they are both required for success. You must push yourself in your work. If you are always comfortable it is not work it is a hobby. And hobbies don’t pay out. Not saying hobbies are bad in and of themselves simply that they are not going to be the best use of your time.
Work hard, work smart. That’s it. Research what others have done, how they achieved their success, see what you can learn from them. Read books. And then go out and work like theirs no tomorrow. Repeat day in and day out. Do for years and you’ll be successful. I know it’s not really sexy or glamorous but it’s true and it’s what works. Every day you postpone it is one more day you must live not being free and not living the life that you want. One more day in bondage. You can’t skip out on the study or the work. You must do both.
Fail And Fail Again
A work horse doesn’t stop when things get tough. When it takes a beating from the weather, circumstances, or anything. It keeps going and going. Plodding on no matter what. It’s stamina and determination are unmatched. This should describe you as well as being smart. Combine hard work with research and intelligence and you’ll slowly but surely rise above the pack. You’ll slowly but surely carve out the life that you want. The life of your dreams the one that you know you are born to live.
It takes time, and guts, and patience, and persistence. But it is possible. Granted that you are willing to put the work and research in. For an example let’s look at blogging. You know you don’t want to be a cubicle slave for the rest of your life and have decided that blogging is the right path for you. You are very knowledgeable on a variety of subjects. You’ve set everything up perfectly. You know how to craft posts, get responses, and sell products. However without putting in the effort day in and day out, none of that is going to matter.
As a matter of fact the guy who doesn’t know any of the optimization tools but continues to write everyday and isn’t going to give up will eventually pass up the more blog savvy guy. Every time. Working hard or working smart isn’t a choice. It would be like deciding between breathing out or breathing in. You have to do both to survive, you have to do both to make it. There is no choice. You must fail and fail again and then keep going to make it.
Summary
Be a smart work horse. Learn all that you can and then apply it relentlessly. It doesn’t matter if you fail or get something wrong as long as you keep going and acknowledge it. I know I make mistakes, I know I do things wrong at times, I know I screw up on occasion. However it doesn’t matter because I’m going to keep charging on. I’m going to keep forward momentum going. I’m going to fail my way to success. If I have to use my failures as the bricks to build my life then so be it. I’ll keep failing and keep moving forward.
Don’t be scared to do something wrong, be scared to never take action. I’ve said things where later I’ve thought better of or have changed my mind. I’m human, so I allow myself this. As long as I keep putting in the work and the research I know that I will slowly but surely get closer and closer to achieving what I want in life. I work hard and I work smart. I spend hours every day outside of work working on things I believe in as well as constantly testing my knowledge and reading to expand it. Remember work hard and work smart. There is no other option.
If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it. You can follow me on Twitter here.
-Charles Sledge
