Hard Work Will Not Kill You. It Just Might Heal You

"Work never killed anyone.  It's worry that does the damage.  And the worry would disappear if we'd just settle down and do the work."

- Earl Nightingale

(1921-1989) Author/Broadcaster

I love modern connivance.  Things that make work easier, take less time to perform and save our backs.  I love technology and to have the ability to communicate with people all over the world in less than seconds.  Through the God given gift of intelligence and discovery, mankind has developed a wonderful life.  However, the very thing we are always seeking to eliminate is the thing that makes all this discover possible - hard work.

                As a student of history, I have seen that for centuries, man has worked hard to make his work easier, more productive, more skilled and faster.  What he has not done, nor do I believe intends to do, is eliminate work all together.  The fact is, we need work.  Work gives us a sense of purpose and a desire to move forward.  Discovery is not about removing something but in doing it better.

                It is easy to blame the advancements in technology and labor saving to the loss of jobs in America.  But if you look at the facts, you see that it is not advancement that takes away jobs but the regulations and restrictions on advancement that put so many out of work.  Add to that the entitlement mentality that has swept this nation like a deadly plague, and you see why we are in the shape we are in. 

                If someone has the desire and drive to make something of their life, there is nothing that will stop them.  There is always a job for a good worker because if that worker does not find what they want, they will make a job.  Success-minded people know that the enemy is not the economy, the job market or education and the hundreds of other excuses we come up with.  The enemy is getting trapped into thinking you do not have to work.  That someone else can pay your way, feed your children and pay your bills.  What makes this even more sinister is when we start to think we deserve this or have a right to it.

                You need to work.  Not just to pay bills and support yourself and your family, but for your own well-being and self-worth.  When we are just takers in life and not givers, we begin to believe we are not worth much to the world.  You were born with a purpose and a dream.  Oh, it may be hidden behind a bunch of junk in your head, but it is there.  What you have to do is find it, believe it and bring it back to the forefront of your life.

                No matter how long you have been out of work or how long you have forgotten your dreams, you can rise above all the muck and be great.  Successful people have no more than you do.  You are just as smart, just as good and just as capable, what you do not do is take action on that.  No one will give you success.  No one will do the work for you, you have to get up and do it yourself.  And if you do, you will win.

                I know that there is greatness in you and in those you love.  Every person on the planet has a purpose and the seeds to make that purpose be fulfilled.  If you are reading this, most likely you are success-minded and a hard worker already.  Those who are the takers of the world do not read blogs on success.  However, you can help them by passing on a spark of hope and encouraging them to strive for something more.

                The best thing you can do for those who do not believe they can be successful is to be successful yourself.  Show them that it can be done and that hard work is not deadly after all.  It is not working that will destroy a life.  Be the example and show the way.  All a success-minded person has to do is be your best, love God, have good manners, discover the unknown and change your world.

To discover how you can achieve the dream you have believed was impossible for too long, read On The Journey To Achievement by John Patrick Hickey.  You can get a signed copy for yourself and get one for a friend, by going to http://www.johnpatrickhickey.com/it-is-good-to-set-goals-better-to-achieve-then/.  Now available on Kindle, Oops! Did I Really Post That? Online Etiquette in the Digital Age by John Patrick Hickey.

© 2015 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.