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With a good work ethic, it’s almost impossible to fail.

 

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I have not bought a new pair of pants for over three years.

 

last week, Maryanne and I set off to re-stock my pants drawer. Knowing exactly what I needed and where to get it Maryanne led me to a small clothing boutique not far from home.

 

Everything was going swimmingly until Maryanne asked the only shop attendant “are these jeans correct to size” to which she replied, “I have no idea – I’ve only worked here for three days.”

 

You cannot teach “work ethic,” you either have it or you do not.

 

Despite this terrible attitude, we spent 45 minutes in the shop trying on numerous pairs of pants. The whole time the shop attendant stood behind the counter totally disinterested in us.

 

I walked away with three pairs of new pants, no thanks to the shop attendant!

This whole experience stank of a shockingly bad work ethic and left me feeling sorry for the shop attendant who obviously knows no better.

 

“Work ethic is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” Jim Rohn

 

I have written about work ethic several times and I believe it is the most important ingredient in someone’s job satisfaction and long-term success.

 

To me the tell-tale signs of someone with a good work ethic are super obvious for everyone to see.

• They always arrive at work on time.
• They arrive to any work commitment well prepared.
• They are always willing to help others do their work.
• They consistently have a friendly “can-do” attitude.
• They are pro-active communicators.
• They never spend long periods of time at work on their phone.

 

“Extraordinary results come from ordinary people with uncommon work ethic.” Shane Parish

 

Some of the key take-aways about work ethic from my previous Weekly Emails are as follows.

 

1. # 169 - A good work ethic is all about discipline and a positive mind set. Your motivation gets you started but diminishes over time. Your motivation and grit keep you going and growing.

 

1. # 160 – Consistency creates talent. Work ethic has a lot to do with consistent effort and commitment. “We become what we repeatedly do.” A consistently good work ethic compounds over time to become the backbone of your success.

• Michael Phelps grew up with bucket loads of natural swimming talent. But leading up to the 2016 Beijing Olympics he trained seven days a week for 5 years, without missing a single day of training. He literally out worked every other male swimmer, to become the greatest swimmer of all time.

 

1. # 155 – Job satisfaction and doing meaningful work is hugely important for maintaining a good work ethic.

Being creatively stimulated and always striving for perfection are also vital for loving the work you do.

 

1. # 125 – Success only comes from long term practice and repetition. It generally takes approx. 10 years (10 000 hours) of consistent practice to become extremely good at something. Raw talent or skill is not enough to guarantee success. It takes a great work ethic, i.e., showing up each day and doing the work for 10 years to be in the hunt.

• “It takes 10 years of practice and hard work to become an overnight success.” Unknown

 

1. # 35 – It is all about your why and having a purpose. The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting. Motivation and discipline start with necessity. Necessity demands that you take action and do the work.

 

“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for someone working harder than you do.”  Unknown

 

Thanks for reading,

Stay safe and always dig deep.

David