Why Are You Working So Hard?

-by Matt Leedham

Hustle, hustle, hustle. Busy, busy, busy!

Do you ever stop for a moment and ask yourself how you got so busy? I don’t know about you, but when look back on my life, I’ve exponentially gotten busier and busier. Yet I have not exponentially increased anything – not wealth, not happiness, not fulfillment, not meaning or purpose.

So what’s the deal? We work harder and harder, push ourselves farther and farther, and spread ourselves thinner and thinner. But for what?

We all have choices. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we don’t by saying things like, “I can’t just work less,” or “I can’t completely change directions after all these years.”

Actually, you can. But you choose not to.

What’s the “why” behind that choice? That’s the question. Are you staying busy because of a value or priority, or are you doing it for someone else? Are you doing it to feel important, or are you already important, regardless of what you do?

Some people work hard because they need the money. I look at the cleaning staff that comes into my office around 5:30pm to pick up trash and tidy things up. I know that it’s their 2^nd, or in some cases, 3^rd job. They’ve got families to support, and working multiple jobs brings in the money they need to make ends meet.

But when you think about it for a minute, even those that “need” the money, are making a choice to work that hard. They could choose to have one job (or no job), and not make enough money to feed and clothe their families. Instead, they choose to work hard. Their choice is not about staying busy or feeling important. It’s grounded in their values and priorities. They sacrifice their own personal enjoyment so that their kids can have a good education and have even more choices. That seems like a motivating and inspiring reason to work hard.

What’s your inspiration for working so hard?

Who are you doing it for? What are you doing it for?

I could never do that!

-By Jaime Willis

"Impossible is Nothing."

- Adidas

Two performers in Cirque Du Soleil's Ovo

James Stigler wanted to understand why Asian students perform so much better than American students in mathematics. In his book, Learning Gap, Stigler mentions the impact of variables such as instructional time (both per day and length of the school year) and curriculum, but he finds that attitude is a large factor in Asian students' success.

Asians, it seems, have placed a high cultural emphasis on hard work as the path to achievement. So when an Asian student tackles a math problem beyond their level of comprehension, they work and work and work at it until they understand the problem and can solve it. They believe that the only thing that stands in the way of their success is just doing the work.

Americans, on the other hand, have placed a high cultural emphasis on skill and talent. So when an American student tackles a math problem beyond their level of comprehension, they believe that they don't "have what it takes" to do that type of math. In fact, an American student will work at the problem no more than 5 minutes on average before giving up, while the Asian student will work for 30 minutes or longer on the same problem.

Esperanza Spalding - 2011 Grammy Winner

Two University of Illinois psychologists, Carol Diener and Carol Dweck, did a similar study in 1978. They found that children who attributed their failure to complete a task to 'lack of ability' did significantly worse at achieving tasks of all difficulty levels than children who attributed their failure to 'lack of effort.'
Even further, the study showed that when they taught children to disassociate failure with lack of ability/talent, the students were able to improve their success rate.

Malcolm Gladwell had a similar conclusion in his book Outliers. He discovered that innate talent and ability was something of a misnomer. In one study, which we've mentioned before in our workshops, Gladwell found that the best violinists in the world were not the ones with the most innate ability, but simply the ones with the most practice time in.

Aron Ralston, survivor

For every single amazing achievement you can think of, there is someone out there who was able to make that happen despite their lack of innate talent or ability. I think of Eddie Izzard, an actor and comedian, who was able to run 43 marathons in a row (one per day) with very little advanced training. I think of Carl Brashear, who became a Master Diver in the Navy as an amputee after twenty-two YEARS of working toward his goal.

So when someone tells me, "I could never do that," I want to scream. SCREAM. "Yes, you can!" The only thing that is truly stopping you is YOU. The path to your "impossible" achievement may take time. And encouragement. And heartbreak. But you CAN achieve anything you set your mind to.

Believe it. Achieve it.

The Biggest Loser

- by Matt Leedham

Last week, the live finale of The Biggest Loser was on NBC and I just couldn’t change the channel. In fact, whenever it’s on, I just seem to get sucked in. It got me thinking…

I think the program “The Biggest Loser” is popular because obesity is an issue that far too many people face in America. Many viewers can connect and relate to the competitors on the show. However, while my weight fluctuates daily, weekly, and monthly too, the real reason I watch the biggest loser is for the mental victories.

Without exception, the contestants on the show, and those that are currently overweight, are dealing with mental and emotional obstacles that seem overwhelming. What makes the show so interesting to me is the break-through moments, the awakenings, the paradigm shifts in the minds of those battling with a variety of tragedies and insecurities. Let’s face it, Jillian and Bob aren’t the world’s best trainers. They are very good trainers, but they are even better therapists. They help people reconstruct their perception of themselves and the world around them.

Rising to the Top
The show starts with many competitors, but only a handful seem to rise to the top. What separates them from the pack?

They have a purpose. They are fighting for something bigger than themselves. They are fighting for their families, for their children, and for their friends. They realize that they’ve made some mistakes and they owe more to the loved ones in their lives. They have a purpose…a reason to live and survive and contribute. They realize that the world is a better place with them in it. They realize that they have something to offer. They are now aware that they matter.

Are you struggling with a goal? Something you know you need to address but can't seem to get it done? Shift your perspective. Change your context. Start with why. Find your purpose for that goal and focus on that. Be relentless.

Give it up!

- by Jaime Willis

It is easier to break a bad habit today than tomorrow.

- Yiddish Proverb

We've talked a lot about setting goals and achieving your dreams. But sometimes, this means giving up. Not that kind of giving up! I mean give up your bad habits! Successful people don't have a lot of bad habits, because those unfruitful behaviors only drain their energy and reduce their ability to achieve.

Let's look at some common New Year's Resolutions and see what I mean.

You want to lose weight in 2011? You are probably going to have to give up junk food, late night snacking, heaping scoops of sugar in your coffee, and/or your drive-through "cooking."

You want to travel in 2011? You are probably going to have to give up random days off of work so you have enough vacation time to go on a trip and impulse shopping for yet another purse you don't need as that money should be saved for your travel.

You want to get healthy in 2011? Stop smoking.

You want to have time to work on a new hobby in 2011? You are probably going to have to stop saying "Yes" when anyone asks you to help out so you have some time for yourself and your own goals.

You want to accomplish more in 2011? You may have to give up some sleep & get up earlier or stop procrastinating and start working.

Bad habits sneak up on us all through-out the year. You may have started out 2010 strong, with the best of intentions, but a little slip-up here and a little compromise there and next thing you know your gym regimen is history and your bad eating habits have creeped back in your life.

Make sure your bad habits are NOT invited to come with you into 2011. Start now -- make a goal to give up your bad habit, and make a plan for how you are going to do that. Line up your support network now and make sure everyone knows what you are giving up.

You can do it! Give it up!

Happiness Is Not The Goal

- by Matt Leedham

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

My friends, I’m afraid he’s right. If you have your sights set on happiness, you’re going to be searching for quite some time.

Happiness is a result.

Feeling happy is what happens when you live your life with purpose and meaning. Happiness occurs when you are grounded in core values that you intentionally act on daily…with conviction.

Happiness is not the goal. It’s a result of living well. Of being part of something bigger than yourself. Of contributing. Of being authentic.

Do these things, and you will one day wake up feeling fulfilled. And happy.

P.S. Same goes for money. Those in search of money will be kept very busy searching for money. Money should not be the goal. Money is typically the result living well, being creative and innovative, working hard, being responsible, and having your priorities straight. Money is the result.

The Only Way To It is Through It.

- By Jaime Willis

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

- Thomas Edison

You will not achieve your goal without hard work.

I really could stop this post right there, because it is that simple. If you want it, you have to work for it. If there were a way to get rich quick, who would stay poor? If there were a way to lose weight overnight, who would stay fat? If running a marathon was so easy, who would bother training for one?

Stop looking for the quick fix right now. Start breaking down your goal into tiny, manageable steps. Start executing on them. Your goal may be a thousand of those tiny steps away, but you WILL get there. But it will take work.

The upside to hard work? The huge sense of accomplishment you feel when you do take that thousandth tiny step and reach your personal finish line.

The only way to your goal is through hard work! What are you waiting for? Get to it!

10,000 Hours of Work to Succeed, 10,000 Hours of Work...

- by Jaime Willis

One of the main premises of Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book, “Outliers,” is that success has much less to do with our innate skills and abilities and much more to do with hard work and practice. Gladwell goes so far as to quantify the amount of hard work required to be successful: 10,000 hours.

“The emerging picture from [research on expertise and talent] is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert—in anything.” Daniel Levitin, quoted on page 40 of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

Gladwell illustrates this principle with a 1990’s study by psychologist K. Anders Ericsson. Ericsson asked two colleagues at Berlin’s elite Academy of Music to divide the school’s violinists into three groups – the students with the potential to become world-class soloists, students who were deemed to be just “good,” and finally students who would likely never play professionally. Ericsson then asked all three groups the same question: over the course of your entire career, how many hours have you practiced? By the age of twenty, the students in the elite group had each totaled ten-thousand hours of practice. The good students had totaled about eight-thousand hours, while the poorest students had practiced just over four-thousand hours.

Think about the level of perseverance and determination that the world-class experts displayed to get ten thousand hours of practice time in. The violinists in the elite group began at age 5 (as did most students in the other two groups) practicing two or three hours per week. But by age nine, they were practicing six hours each week, eight hours a week by age twelve, sixteen hours a week by age fourteen and so on.

For a middle or high school student to spend one to two work days a week on their violin practice means they had to be dedicated. I’m sure that if we interviewed those students today, they would tell us the all the stuff they missed out on because they were focused on playing violin.

What is also interesting to note is that the study found no “naturals;” students who were elite violinists without putting in the ten thousand hours of practice.

What lessons can we learn from this?

1. There is literally NO substitute for hard work. If you want to succeed, you’d better get started logging in the time now.

2. Getting to 10,000 hours (over 3.5 years of 8-hour work days) requires determination and perseverance. You need to set your mind on the goal and attend to it with a laser-like focus. In a race 10,000 hours long, there are bound to be obstacles and challenges, set-backs and disappointments. Don’t let these be more than a temporary stumbling block in your path to success.

3. There is no doubt in my mind that world-class experts on any subject—folks who have put in the 10,000 hours of work to become successful—had help. The elite violinists likely had supportive parents, music tutors, band directors, teachers, mentors, and others all helping them along the way. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to run a marathon if no one was allowed to cheer on the runners? In your success marathon, you must build your support group – a mentor, a coach, teachers and tutors, cheerleaders—whoever you need to have the resources and assistance to make it to the finish line.

I’ll leave you with Albert Einstein’s insight on the issue: “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

Believe it! Achieve It!

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