The art of work part 3

In the previous part of the is chapter, we discussed the value of effort. In this part, we will discuss the attitude one should have when it comes to working.

When we talk about working, of necessity, we talk about attitude. Thomas EDISON is a great example of the relation to work one should have. One day, a young journalist put a question to him touching one of the inventions on which he has been working for long. EDISON, by answering to that question, revealed one of the secrets of his greatness. The journalist asked him: Sir, how do you feel after having missed the target in the process for about ten thousand times? EDISON replied to him: Young man, you are barely starting in life; I am going to tell you something that will help you for the rest of your life. I did not miss my target ten thousand times; rather, I discovered ten thousand ways that did not function. According to Thomas EDISON, he has carried out over fourteen thousand experiences before he finally invented the bulb. He discovered a large number of principles, which did not work; yet he kept on working until he discovered the right one. By so doing, he proved that the only difference between the great and the little is that the great is the little that kept on pushing. In regards to this, always remember that you are only beaten if you resign. Success only comes with patience, perseverance and sweat. When you are convinced that you offered the best you could and you fail, do not let down. Try something else. Sometimes success is just a matter of persistence and belief in work. If your work seems harder than what you expected, remember that we do not sharp a knife on a piece of wood, but iron sharpens iron.

At times, success is waiting for you on the other side of the hill; you just have to give in some more efforts to make it. President Calvin COLIDGE wrote: nothing in the world can replace persistence; talent cannot do it as the most common thing we meet is talented failures; genius cannot make it, unrecognized genius is idiomatic; education neither cannot do it, the world if full of instructed bums. Only persistence, striving and work make the difference. Therefore, while on your way to the top, remember that each step of the ladder is there just for you to place a leg on it, for the short period necessary for you to move on. It is not a rest shelter. Of course, we all have our setbacks and discouragement, but as the heavyweight boxing champion, James J. CORBETT used to say: you only become a champion, by taking one more round. When things are tough, you just stand one more round. William James, considered as the father of modern philosophy says that we do not only have a second wind, we have a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth and sometimes, even a seventh. Each individual hold within themselves a large quantity of energy, which is useless so long that you do not know that it is there and, do not strive to use it. Pau Carlos Salvador Casals i Defilo usually known in English as Pablo Casals, the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century and one of the greatest cellists of all time used to rehearse for six hours per day, even after having become famous. When asked why he kept on doing it, he replied: I believe that I am progressing.

You need to understand that, chance and greatness never knock on the door. They are already in each one of us, yet we have to work hard to reveal them. Persistence and effort always take you just closer to success. Consider any marketing Director, they will always tell you that each no you receive takes you closer to a yes.

Work hard, develop your talents and your time will come. Remember that in order to succeed, you must first invest. Just as a farmer has to saw during spring, if he wants to harvest in autumn. He equally puts in much effort before his crops get ripe. A student puts in hundreds of hours of study, before getting their knowledge and certificates. The secretary that will become manager tomorrow, invest a lot of extra time in her job. The athlete that will become a champion tomorrow invests his time, his sweat and all his efforts before he deserves the reward of the champion. The junior executive that will become CEO tomorrow is the one that invests all into his work. Now, I know some Africans reading this article will tell me that, things do not always work like that; I will address this topic in our next series. The salesperson that will become the sales manager tomorrow is the one who understands the principle of pumps triggering. Anyone who has ever used a hand water pump knows that you must first put some water on the top of the pump in order to trigger it before it unleashes the fountain of water. In the game of life, you must first put something in before you get any result. Unfortunately, many people stand before the fur of life and say: fur, give me heat and I will give you firewood. It is not the same with life! You must first invest something in life, before you can get something back from life. You have to persevere. Life has its own way of provoking, as you can never know if it will take two or two hundreds kicks before you get the water out of the pump. The same goes with the game of life, wherein you can never know if the reward will come tomorrow, in a week, in a month of even longer. However, you know this for sure: if you keep on pumping harder, with much enthusiasm, eventually, the effort will be rewarded. Once the water stream is up and running, all you need to do is to keep a constant pressure on the pump and you will get more water than you even needed. It is the story of life. Whatever you do, persist and go about it with right habit and attitude.