Does Hard Work Pay?
Over the years I have heard people submit that hard work pays. I have even seen and heard people being acknowledged as hard workers. In my defining years, the mantra that hard work pays was brutally imposed in my life. I would start my day by going to our local plot and then to school. I was told it is very important for a person, especially a man to work hard. That statement was even accompanied by the promise of riches if you work hard.
The Practical Reality
Time has shown me another dimension of life. Some so many hard workers are poor, a good number of them even live below the poverty datum line. In observing this I sought for new answers and better understanding because what I was taught was not aligning with the practical reality. Just be honest with yourself in your own heart and try to establish how many hardworking people you know and what their current financial status is. The answer you got is scary I can imagine.
Understanding the Difference
A lot of people fail to understand the difference between being busy and being effective, being productive and being hardworking. Success or greatness does not necessarily come to hard-working people, but it comes to people who are effective at what they do. A lot of people have reduced their lives to a hub of activities. They have become busy bees with no honey because they cannot draw the line between business and effectiveness.
Productivity is Key
The essence of all economic activity is supposed to be productivity. Last week we witnessed a very hard-working Borussia Dortmund from Germany being beaten by an effective Real Madrid. Some people on social media are protesting as to how Madrid won. I fully understand their perspective, they were trained that hard work is the hallmark of success. May I repeat that it is not? Borussia Dortmund got more than ten chances but could not bury them. Madrid got two chances and scored two goals. Sadly, a lot of people in life are hardworking. They are just like Dortmund, who do not know how to maximise their potential.
Practice Military Discipline
Potential speaks to your capabilities. It speaks to how you can turn a concept into a reality. It is greatly reflected in how you perform your task. The rate at which you execute your task is a good barometer of whether you are productive or you are just a busy bee. If you want to maximize your potential learn to be economical with your time. If you are to be an important person in life be ruthless with your time. Make every second count. Learn to do more with less time. Check the use of your time with military discipline. Do not just jump into a task out of emotional attachment. Be a goal-driven person who seeks excellence in all they do. Put goals and set timelines. Learn to measure the big things and the small things, especially the small things. Evaluation of tasks and performance creates accountability.
Don’t Die Average
Many people will die common and average. They will look back and conclude life was unkind to them and fate did not smile on them. They will blame other factors such as the referee and poor match officials. They will diagnose anything and everything. They will even convene and agree that mother fortune was not on their side. Most people love to dwell on how the conditions were never favorable and how they were doomed to fail. They will not consider that they had ten chances and did not score once. They will consider the other team as very lucky. They will not acknowledge the level of discipline needed to turn human beings into machines. Instead of going back to the drawing board of practical living, they sink themselves in the sorrow of working hard and never achieving anything. They blame things on fate and nature. Do not speak the language of failures. You were born to be great.
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The Reality Check
I believe I speak for many in stating that we all want to succeed. But the truth is that success is not like a thicket of mushroom that wakes up being there without any measure of growth and accountability. Success and greatness will ask for your vision, your mission, and your practical values. It will ask you about your performance-enhancing strategy. It will boil to the little or minute details of your life. How long does it take you to accomplish a certain task? Life needs you to create an advantage through prioritization. What is the most important item in your schedule? This is what will enhance your productivity. The challenge with Productivity is that it can be messed up by interruptions such as phone calls, visits, and entertainment in high proportion. Entertainment is a critical part of success, we call it recreation but excess entertainment is a huge challenge to our productivity. The question is what you are investing most of your time in? Learn to be strategic by resting when your performance levels tire Understand time boxing, and eliminate hanging around friends and time wasters.
Shutting it Down
I hope you are willing to migrate from the paradigm of busyness to that of effectiveness. Life does not reward your effort but it rewards your results. People will never remember who the runner-up was but they will remember who the winner was. Winning is a product of effectiveness. Effort is good but effectiveness is the crux of the matter. If you want to leave your footprints in the sand get results. We will all remember that you were here. Nobody can argue with the results you produce.
In the final analysis, Jesus Christ is the ultimate leader. Learn to follow him and many will follow you. Arise and shine your season is here. May your next level become a reality.
Dr Ted Msipa is Pastor, Author, Visionary and Public Speaker based in Maseru, Lesotho. He writes here in his personal capacity and view shared here do not necessarily reflect those of Africa News 24. He solves organisational development challenges and leadership challenges. Dr Ted can be reached on Coachted117@gmail.com or on +266 63177309.
