Hard Work

In a world where people constantly talk about work-life balance, earning passive income and four-hour work weeks, we sometimes lose sight of the fact there are times when you have to put in the time and the work to get the job done.

Don't be fooled into thinking you will never have to put in extra hours or miss some days off in doing what you love. Working your ass off does not mean you are unhappy...it means that you are working your ass off. Happiness with your work does not always have a correlation with the number of hours you put in. Sometimes you have to burn that midnight oil, but this is no reason to think you aren't doing what you are supposed to be doing.

Do what needs to get done. Do it well, no matter how long it takes. But, if you are going to work long, hard hours, make sure you are doing something you love. It makes doing the work a whole lot easier and more fun.

The Only Thing Stopping You...

Today kicks off the pomp and spectacle known as the London Olympic Games. No matter what you think of the Olympics and everything going on, you have to stop and think about many of the athletes competing. For most, this will be one of, if not the biggest event in their life. They didn't get to the Olympics by accident. They made it to the Olympics by working harder than the rest of us at what they do.

These athletes put in the work. They trained day in and day out, often for many, many years. They had a dream, but one that wasn't easy to reach. They had goals, but goals most of us wouldn't have the discipline to obtain. They perform in ways many of us could never imagine. They put in hours of work many of us can't fathom. These athletes shouldn't be put on pedestals based on what they can do, but instead should be celebrated for what they have done to get to where they are.

While most of us will never be athletic enough to even have a chance to compete at the Olympics, we must choose to emulate their dedication. It's not the fame or the glory that will last for them, it is the knowledge they chased and dream and grabbed hold. They didn't let "real life" stop them from chasing what they wanted. They don't make excuses to not do the work. They took whatever life threw at them and continued to chase down their dream. They believe in themselves and push hard to accomplish their goals.

Yes, some are gifted with genes to help them become amazing athletes. Yes, some are given chances many other people don't have. But, they still have to put in the work to accomplish their dreams. They have to focus. They have to believe. They have to dream big dreams. They have to put in more work than we can even imagine. They have to give up a lot of other things. They have to choose to be great. They have to have the drive to push through. They have to be passionate. They have to work their ass off.

What dreams do you have? How much work do you put in to reach them? What is your Olympics?

The only thing stopping you is you.

Good Enough

How did we get so good at doing just enough work to get by? I see this form of self-sabotage all the time and often notice it in myself. We aren't pushing forward as hard as we can. We aren't changing things to make them better. We aren't holding other people accountable when they refuse to do the best work possible. Mediocrity is becoming the norm in every industry.

"Good enough" needs to be eliminated from our lexicon. This doesn't mean we have to strive for perfection in everything we do, but we should constantly search to improve what we offer. "Good enough" eliminates the need for new ideas and new ways to offer services. As we have embraced this idea of things being "good enough", we have seen the quality services and products offered decline. The exceptions to this are the outliers, the companies and people who realize "good enough" really isn't.

Making changes, pushing the envelope, striving for greatness...these are the ideas pushing innovation and allowing some people and companies to stand above the rest. When you receive exceptional service or find a breathtaking product, "good enough" never entered the minds of those offering the service or designing and building the product. They realized consumers will pay for the exceptional. In fact, even if we don't know it, we crave the exceptional. In the days of big box stores and large quantities of cheap crap proliferating homes, this may be hard to believe, but we do crave the exceptional.

Striving for the exceptional does not mean you have wait to offer your services or products until you know you have something exceptional. Stick you neck out there and see what happens. Learn from others. Figure out what works and what doesn't. If something doesn't work, change it. If something does work, see if there are ways to make it work better. Don't dwell on mistakes or causes of problems, learn quickly, think on your feet and improve things. You are never going to be perfect, but I am sure you can offer something better than what is out there now.

Do you really want to be known as "good enough"?

Toil

Getting what you want and where you want takes hard work and time. There are no shortcuts and no get rich quick schemes along the path.

If you want to do what you dream, you will shed blood, sweat and tears. You will toil along and may want to quit multiple times along the way. You will have doubts. But, if you see it through to the end, you will be happy you did. Do you want to put in the work?