A friend of mine recently lost in her bid to be elected for public office. Last week an opportunity for me to contribute to a segment on a national talk show fell through. Last month I had another publisher ‘pass’ on the book I’m working on.
The fact is that whenever we take on lofty goals, there is risk we will not achieve them. Too often though when our efforts fail to produce we have worked hard toward, we focus on the failure. We think about what we missed out on doing or getting. People speak about their “wasted effort” implying that because they did not achieve the goal they set out toward – whether it be the business contract they had worked so hard to secure or the promotion that went to someone else despite their hours of overtime – that their effort was of no value.
But that is not true.
You do yourself a disservice when you approach hard work begrudgingly. There is little in life more rewarding than working hard at work worth doing, regardless of whether you always produce the result you want.
Working hard toward a goal or vision that inspires us, regardless of the outcome, always holds intrinsic value. What matters far more than what we get from our hard work and effort, is who we get to become from it. Caren echoed this sentiment last night with a group of supporters gathered in my home. She shared her gratitude for the rewarding experience of simply running for office and her appreciation for the opportunity to meet so many people, of all political persuasions and across all walks of life. Yes she worked hard. Very hard. Door-knocking on 20,000 doors hard. But she also drew enormous pleasure from the hard work, and shared the quote by Theodore Roosevelt which has inspired this post: “Far and away the best prize life has to offer is working hard at work worth doing.”
Caren worked her extraordinarily hard for the last 12 months. Her work ethic left me in awe as she made thousands of phone calls, and stood in metro stations handing out fliers. She put herself out there again and again and again because she is committed to make a meaningful contribution to her local community and state.
It is only human to feel disappointment when we don’t achieve something we have worked hard toward. But our hard work and effort is never wasted. It truly is one of life’s deep joys to “work hard at work worth doing.” And working hard toward something that fills you with purpose and passion is always work worth doing – whether it be raising your family, fulfilling a long held dream, building a business that fulfills an unmet need or, writing a book to change lives.
Today the word “work” has come to mean something to be avoided as much as possible for many people. But there is value in work. Not just for the money you can earn from it, but from the person you get to become. Hard work draws out talents and capacities that may otherwise have laid dormant.
“Far and away the greatest pleasure we can get in life is working hard at work worth doing.” – Theodore Roosevelt
I don’t know what challenges you face right now. But I will bet that in order to meet them successfully it will require you to do some hard work yourself. Work isn’t always “fun”. Sometimes it can be a grind. But that does not diminish from its intrinsic value.
So let me ask you, where is your life calling on you to work harder at work worth doing? Whether it is the inner work of transforming the way in which you are living your life, or the outer “roll up your sleeves and set your alarm early” work, always keep forefront of mind, that nothing worth doing has ever been done without good old fashioned hard work. Period.
I invite you to recommit yourself to putting in the effort needed to live a life that honors the best of who you are, and who have yet to become. After all, in the end its never about the final destination, it’s about the spirit in which we pursue the journey.
Journey on.
Very inspiring Margie. I too often approach my work as a necessary evil when in fact, it's really something that allows me to contribute in really helpful ways to the customers my company services. Thank you for reminding me that hard work is really something to be grateful for, rather than whined about.
This came at the perfect time for me! I am feeling uninspired in my day job and feeling a bit under appreciated. My new business is hard to fit in to the extra hours between work and raising my kids. It is good to remember how it feels good to do your best even if the outcome isn't always what you want it to be.
Last week I was told I would be replaced after 17 years of working as an Executive Director for a trade association of insurance agents & brokers. But, I find myself liberated… although I’ll miss the money!
Dear Margie,
How timely this message is for me! I was notified last week that after 14+ years with my company, my HR job is being moved offshore to South America. My last day is December 16th. I was not expecting this and it came as quite a shock. Now, I’m trying to finish up the work on my plate, not burn bridges, conduct a job search, be a mom, a wife, a friend, and keep my sanity.
Thank YOU, as always, for what you do and for how you inspire me. I need that a lot right now!
Cheers, Audra
This is just what I needed to read Margie. So timely as i just had a business deal fall through after months of negotiation. It's easy to see it all as wasted time and effort but actually, there was a lot of valuable learning from the process. Thanks for reminding me of that.
Hi Margie,
Great blog!
Thanks for pointing out that work is not something to be shunned; it's to be relished. Too many American's today act as though they shouldn't have to work hard. The fact is that our country got to where fit is by sheer old hard work and I think it will only get back to recovery by learning to do it again.
Here's to more Americans rolling up their sleeves and working hard at work worth doing.
Tipper, CA
working hard toward something that fills you with purpose and passion is always work worth doing.
Amen!
I have often found myself disappointed when my hard work hasn't paid off with a result I can quantify in some way. Which is why I found your article so refreshing. There truly is a value in working hard, regardless of whether we produce the result we want. It's just good for the soul.
Please keep working hard at what you do Margie. The world needs your voice of reason, common sense and courage.
"What matters far more than what we get from our hard work and effort, is who we get to become from it." — So true! That's why it's really important not only to love what you do and be passionate about it, but also become our very best self!
Margie – I just LOVE this "working hard" post. It's so so meaningful and relevant. The discussion regarding the word "work" resonated particularly strongly with me. I've always been supremely frustrated as a parent with how many movies (Disney, etc.) and TV shows seem to denigrate any kind of work as being horrible and something to be avoided at all costs, often in favor of general leisure or worse, shopping! Cinderella is a notable example – the mean (ugly) stepmother forces the beautiful Cinderella to perform the drudgery of the household while the ugly stepsisters lounge around barking orders. And when she is ultimately rescued by Prince Charming, the underlying message is that she is also rescued from ever having to "work" again. I feel like it's impossible for this repeated messaging NOT to affect children's attitudes as they grow up in this culture, and am sure it contributes to the push back that we see in asking for help in simple household tasks.
This constant challenge of fighting the cultural messaging is why the Montessori approach is so refreshing. My younger daughter has been in Montessori since preschool and now, in second grade, she loves "work". From a young age they refer to the tasks or assignments the children perform as "work" and teach them that it is very important. Even if it's just doing a practical life learning game – they call it work. This is so helpful as one can carry it over into the home. We often talk about doing our "work" together, or I say that I have to finish my work and she gets it. As a result, she typically does not shy away from any kind of work, and usually starts out the evening or the weekend with wanting to attack her homework. Of course from time to time like most children she does protest doing certain tasks. But for the most part, it is so wonderful to see these children understanding and taking seriously the concept of the importance of doing work and of doing it well – whatever that might be. I so wish educators would focus on instilling the same messaging in the public schools.
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your post.
Regards,
Nadia
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