There’s so much talk these days about working hard and hitting the “grind.” I hear time and time again that you have to work hard and that you have to suffer in order to be successful. We live in a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week world now, if you’re not working 18 hours a day someone else is going to beat you. I believe the people touting this way of life are sending the wrong message. I’ve never been afraid of work, that’s for sure. I come from a blue collar family and I was always told to get a good job and work. I did just that, but learned a few lessons along the way that have helped me live an amazing life without feeling like I have to suffer through it.
I’ve been working since before it was legal for me to do so. I had a paper route when I was 11 years young. I used to hang off the back of our station wagon and throw papers onto the neighbors front lawns. In 9th grade, I got a job at the local video store because my parents couldn’t afford to buy me new school clothes. At that point I realized that if I wanted anything in my life that I had to get it myself. I get my work ethic from my dad, he worked 3 jobs until the day he died. But there’s one thing I’ve learned over the course of my life and it is that you can choose to enjoy what you’re doing along the way.
For some reason, I really can’t tell you why, I thought long ago that I never wanted to do anything for money. I wanted money, I was clear about that, but I had a premonition of sorts and committed to working on doing only those things I enjoyed doing. I knew I was smart enough to get a sales job and start that grind of door to door selling or making hundreds of sales calls everyday to make money. But what appealed to me more was enjoying my life as much as possible. I actually made this part of my personal code. Do what you love and you’ll be much happier than if you choose to do something for money alone. That’s not to say you won’t need to take a job that you don’t like. It will be a means to an end, while on the side, nights, and weekends you follow what you love doing.
I believe that the advice of finding your passion is great, but I recommend keeping it loose. I have many passions. I love snowboarding, but I recently started skiing and it’s bringing me so much joy. I once hated running and now I can’t go a few days without hitting the trails because I reap so much joy. This doesn’t mean that what I’m doing doesn’t take work. It absolutely does. I use exercise and a fun hobby as an example because they are both difficult, but the rewards are great. Think of you life and your passions as you would your diet. There are some foods you love and you eat them often while others you just cannot stand and they give you the heebie-jeebies. Olives and mushrooms do that for me!
I think a lot of people are under the impression that you have to work hard, suffer, and hate what you do until you find success. I totally disagree. Absolutely find what you love, but don’t limit yourself to one thing or even a few things. Open your mind and expand your horizons. Try new things, explore new places, read more books. Do whatever it takes to fill your world with enough joyful experiences. Understand that you may not like things at first, but you may grow to love something over time.
Finally, you must understand your definition of success. I implore you to make sure that fulfillment is part of that definition. Tony Robbins is famous for saying, “Success without fulfillment is failure.” It’s poignant to say the least, so many of us continue to achieve, achieve, achieve, but when we look back on our lives we’ve missed the experience and the beauty of the moment. I encourage you to strive and to achieve, but I also want you to stop, reflect, and make sure you’re enjoying the heck out of the journey. Life is too precious, my friends, and too short to under appreciate each passing moment. Get out there, enjoy all the good and the bad. And remember, today happens once, so make it great! I’m always here to help: @teddymcdonald