Saturday, December 15, 2007

The Gospel of Hard Work

This question comes up at work a lot. Does hard work matter? Or does success belong to the lucky and to the political players?

Clearly, there are people who have become rich or powerful out of sheer luck. These are people who have won the lottery or were born into a famous or rich family or what have you. These people didn't lift a finger, but lady luck smiled on them. Then, there are those people who got to where they are not as a consequence of talent or diligence but merely because they were willing to debase themselves in some way. These are the ones who screwed the boss to get a promotion or lied or bribed or what have you to get to where they are. They are the asskissers and backstabbers of the world. Unlike the lucky, these people acted to make things happen for themselves even if those methods were morally compromised.

On the flip side, there are people who have worked extremely hard and have nothing to show for it. This is because lady luck frowned on them. Actions beyond their control worked to undo the fruits of their labor. Shit happens, and there's not a whole lot you can do about it. Like it or not, labor often goes unrewarded.

So, does hard work matter? Absolutely. Here's why.

The first thing that must be made clear is the definition of success. For most people, being successful means being rich. But this is a flawed definition. Clearly, there are people who were rich that I would not consider successful. Kurt Cobain was one such individual. The guy was rich and famous and even revered as an icon. But he blew his brains out with a shotgun. Clearly, something was wrong.

Success must be measured against the purpose of life which is to be happy. If you are happy, you are successful. If you are not happy, you are not successful. Shitheads are unable to grasp this distinction. Somewhere along the way, money became a substitute for happiness. This is understandable since money is objective. It can be counted and measured and compared. But money and happiness are not the same thing.

Now, I'm not one of those Zen Buddhist spiritual types who derides wealth and material possessions. I can tell you that money does not buy happiness, but I can also tell you that you can't be happy without money. This is why it is always better to be rich than to be poor. Money buys the material means to achieve our ends. A musician is nothing without his instrument. A scholar is nothing without his books. Tiger Woods is nothing without a set of clubs.

Giving someone like me a set of golf clubs would be a waste. I don't golf. I don't like it. Likewise, I don't care about having a big fancy boat or a Ferrari. None of these things serves as a means to some end for me. But I would love to have a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck simply because I want to haul stuff but also fit in a parking spot. If I won the lottery, I would buy this truck. I would not buy the Ferrari.

I don't spend my time comparing myself to other people or coveting what they have or envying people. This is because I measure myself against my own goals and my own happiness. This is how I am able to pull off that neat trick of being both self-deprecating and arrogant as hell at the same time. I'm a very happy person. When you are happy, you don't give a shit what other people think about you. Insults or praise are meaningless to me. Like Woody Allen, I don't need an Oscar to tell me what I already know.

Happiness comes from hard work. This is the gospel of hard work. I don't even know why they call it hard work because I never saw it as hard. When you love what you are doing, it really isn't work. Happiness is the byproduct of constructive and rational activity. When you are happy, you love what you are doing which motivates you to do it even more. This is how Tiger Woods became what he is. The guy loves to play golf. He is praised for his work ethic on the driving range and the putting green, but folks, it is no sacrifice for him. It would be a sacrifice for me because I hate golf. But that's why I don't spend 10 to 12 hours a day hitting those balls.

If you work hard, you will be happy. People who have attained something without hard work are not happy. They are miserable. It doesn't matter if they are rich or have a privileged position. They have failed at achieving life's end which is to be happy. The result is bitterness and a search for substitutes. These people buy things for the sake of other people and are desperate to convince themselves more than anyone else that they really are successful. But they aren't.

The best example I can give of this is Paris Hilton. She is the epitome of faux happiness. She was born rich with a famous last name. But she is not particularly beautiful or talented or anything. Fate rescued her from her proper place sucking dick in a trailer park and watching Jerry Springer all day. She doesn't work. She spends money, fucks, does cocaine, and whines her way out of jail. This is success?

Compare Ms. Hilton to Madonna who approaches life quite differently. Both are rich, but you get the feeling that Madonna actually deserves what she got. I don't know if Madonna is happy these days, but I know she worked hard for what she got. I also think she enjoyed every bit of it.

I like to think that hard work always results in riches, but it doesn't. But I can say that it does result in happiness. I also believe that you stand a far better chance of being rich as a result of that hard work than if you didn't work at all.

I asked a friend once if he would rather make $50,000 per year doing something he loved or $250,000 a year doing something he hated. Without hesitation, he said he'd rather do something he hated for $250,000. I thought that was rather sad and stupid. But it made sense. People wonder how so many stupid ass people got to where they are in life devoid of talent and even common sense. There is your answer. They were willing to do what the rest of us weren't. What is even dumber is envying those people. When I told my friend he could probably make $250,000 a year doing gay porn, he suddenly found the $50,000 a year job more appealling.

As for me, I'm a whore on some things and a nun on others. I'm willing to negotiate my reputation, my status, and my salary. I am not willing to negotiate my ethics or my happiness. I'd rather advance on my merits, but I also know it pays to advertise. It is a balancing act between excess and deficiency. It is ok to sell just don't sell out.

So, does hard work matter? Absolutely. It is the best way and the only way to be successful in life. Success is happiness not wealth, fame, or status. This is the gospel of hard work. Work hard, and you will be happy.

0 comments:

Post a Comment