“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley
Firstly, I congratulate the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria for the successful hosting of the 94th edition of the PSN conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. It was a great outing!
This December edition of my article is the last for the year. I thank God for the gift of life. May our careers, businesses and families continue to flourish. Amen.
This article will explore nuggets that will help salespeople and other professionals, no matter the industry or career path. It will prepare you for the New Year.
An interesting feedback
I wrote an article on 18 October, 2021, where I explored my daily motivation. In the Nuggets, I listed ten tips that lead to success. Number two on the list says, “The harder and smarter you work, the luckier you get; success and hard work are interwoven.”
I love constructive criticism; it expands knowledge. One reader of the article who belongs to one of our affiliate social media platforms in Enugu didn’t agree with the Nugget assertion. Consequently, he wrote thus, “You don’t need to work hard to be successful; rather, work smart and that’s intelligence. Working HARD means struggling with life. Only few make it that way.”
He was constructive in his position, hence my decision to write this piece – to dig deeper into the topic: Working hard and working smart.
What I discovered
Let me tell you that 100 per cent of successful people I know work hard. They got to the top by working hard, with the right vision, mission, goals, and objectives. They applied the right strategies at the right places.
I have studied the lives of more than 100 very successful people and I must tell you that four attributes stand out in their lives:
- They are visionary
- They are strategic
- They work hard
- They are consistent
Show me a successful man who doesn’t believe in working hard, and I will show you the most popular magician of the century! Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds; I totally agree with this thought.
In my upcoming book Starting and Growing a Successful Business I explored my concept of “The Big Ten.” One of the concepts there is Process.
The place of process
Process is like a chef in a five star hotel who knows the right ingredients for the right soup. He also knows the time to use each ingredient. The right process gets the right results.
Success in business is about process; it is a journey. There’s no sudden successful entrepreneur! You must go to work if you truly want to succeed.
I woke up at 2:45 am to pen down this article and I finished it at 6:05 am. That’s working hard. I must create it to bring it to life. There’s no other way! That’s process. If I didn’t wake up to write it at that time, I might lose the inspiration to write this piece. Process is hard work. Working hard is following the precepts of process.
Tilling for gold
Gold is hidden beneath the soil. If you dig, you discover it. This is working hard and following a defined path to mining gold. Tiling of the ground to discover gold is the “working hard” aspect of success. There should be process before success. No real success stands alone; it must follow a path.
As a professional, or someone trying to start a business, don’t allow anyone deceive you to believe that you don’t need to work hard; that you only need to work smart. Your smart work must stand on a strong foundation of planning, executing and knowing the process that gets things done. What is working smart without believing in working hard? I need a superior explanation please!
What I think
You see, I have issues when folks use the line: “I don’t work hard, I work smart.”
What I have found out is that people who say this can’t even dissect the meaning of the sentence. They simply can’t explain the statement. The statement is vague!
I believe that you can’t get to the top when you don’t know how to climb. You must follow a means to get to the top. Working smart without believing in working hard is like telling someone to get to the top without using a ladder, an elevator or any means to the top.
Real success is a journey; it has a foundation
Success cannot stand alone. It is a journey that takes off from somewhere. It follows a defined path. Real success takes sweat. It takes thinking, planning, executing and monitoring.
People who promote “I don’t work hard, I work smart” see working hard as not being smart. Are you kidding me? How on earth would someone discount working hard on his path to success? Success and working hard are cousins! (Continues next edition)
George O. Emetuche, CES, MNIMN, is a Brian Tracy endorsed bestselling author, accredited training consultant, life coach, sales and marketing expert.
Please buy books by George O. Emetuche. They are:
- The Selling Champion
- The Art of Selling
- The 25 Unbreakable Laws of Sales
- The 11 Irrefutable Principles of Success
- Everything is Possible
- Be Inspired!
- Succeeding With Your Spouse
Get them from popular bookshops, pharmacies or super stores near you. Reach us on 07060559429 or 08186083133, for cutting edge training of your Sales Team and other Professionals. Let’s take care of your Sales Conference. We know The Art of Selling!
www.thesellingchampionconsulting.com.
