I get asked this question a lot. Rarely are people pleased with my answer: Work. Yep, that’s it. Work. It’s not attitude or passion or loving what you do. Those things help, but they aren’t the key. It’s good old-fashioned work. How do you know you are working? When you are breaking a sweat, either mentally or physically.
Now don’t automatically think that working hard will make you successful. It won’t. I know lots of people who work very hard, much harder than I do, and don’t really find any financial success. On the other hand, I don’t know of anyone who has experienced real financial success who hasn’t worked hard to achieve it. And don’t offer me lottery winners or people who have inherited their money – they don’t count. I’m talking about regular people like you and me. For us, it takes work.
“But Larry, I go to work every day and work hard!” I doubt it. Most studies say that workers waste at least two hours a day goofing off. They admit to doing less than their best on the job and less than their best for the customer. Work is just that place where you dress slightly better than you do at home. And those people you work with – they aren’t coworkers, they are only co-goers.
We have become a nation of spectators. It’s easier to watch Friends on TV than it is to be a friend in real life. It’s easier to watch people lose weight on TV than it is to get off our huge butts and lose it ourselves. It’s certainly easier to watch people paint a room or clean out their closets than to do it ourselves. And it’s even easier to watch someone else correct their out-of -control children than to discipline our own. I find this sad.
Most people settle for much less than they have to because they are just too lazy to work for what they really want. They do a half-assed job when they are on the job and then put little effort into living their dream when they go home. Life, happiness, prosperity, and success all take effort. If it feels easy, you are going the wrong direction. Remember: It’s called work for a reason.
~Larry Winget
Larry is a six-time New York Times/Wall Street Journal bestselling author. His newest book is What’s Wrong with Damn Near Everything: How The Collapse Of Core Values Is Destroying Us And How To Fix It. He is a member of the Speaker Hall Of Fame. He has starred in his own television series and appeared in national television commercials. Larry is a regular contributor on many television news shows on the topics of money, personal success, business, and parenting. Find out more at www.larrywinget.com and follow him on Facebook at Larry Winget Fan Page and on twitter @larrywinget.