A conversation of EXCELLENCE and WORK ETHIC
I saw the owner of my younger daughter's swim school today at my gym. I introduced myself to him and told him how impressed I am with his school. I also shared the intention that Anais will complete his 10-level program even though she's already swimming very well, explaining that the elder, Angilynn, had gone to three other schools when she was younger and I stopped her once she was a solid swimmer. Anais is level 7. I could stop her now, but there's something special about the owner's school. You see, the owner is an American Olympian who has won multiple medals. They teach DIFFERENTLY and more effectively than the other schools Angilynn was exposed to. Because of that level of training, I want Anais to continue learning from the best in OC.
As we were talking, I shared that I've been an acupuncturist for 18 years. We talked about what it's like being self-employed and, for him, having employees. Remember, he's an Olympian. His work ethic is what got him the medals and now a very prominent swim school with several locations in one of the most expensive counties in the USA.
He told me how yesterday a potential new hire explained how adamant she was against working 40 hours and how it's the government programming the minds of Americans that we should work 40 hours a week, that she really just wants to work 30. It's about "working smarter, not harder." Is she right? The answer is 2-fold.
The answer is really getting to a place where you're not working at all and money's just flowing in. Sure, working 30 hours or less is ideal - and when all is said and done, my work hours at my own very busy office can be much, much less than 30 hours.
The second part to that answer is that I WORKED MY ASS OFF FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I DEMANDED FROM A BOSS THAT I WORK LESS THAN 40 HOURS.
This chic is applying for a minimum-wage job (or something like that) and she's already making demands from her potential boss.
#1 She didn't do any research on her potential boss or she doesn't give a damn nor has the humility to keep her mouth shut when talking to an Olympian who is now a prosperous business owner. She had the audacity to tell the business owner that "working 40 hours is old-school." She has accomplished NOTHING in life yet (no college degree, no business of her own, no real experience in the real world, no experience in being a world-class athlete herself) and she's trying her best to convince the person who could sign her paycheck why she doesn't want to do something that the boss is looking to hire for.
Yes, kids in your late teens and early 20s, you can and should get to the point where you're working 5-15 hours a week earning in the 6 or 7 figures (or more), but don't kid yourselves into thinking that you can make these demands when you're APPLYING for a job. You impress no one. If you were THAT GOOD, you wouldn't be applying for a job. You'd be hustling your own businesses and you'd be so far ahead of your contemporaries that they'll wonder how they can get into business with you.
Whoever is poisoning your minds with this bullshit that you can work very little and get paid well is doing a great job of it. This is a common thread in this younger generation.
Think of EVERY successful person in any industry. We just watched PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. Did that entire movie crew say, "We're only going to put in 30 hours or less per week on this project until we get it done?" Do you think Johnny Depp started his career that way? When he was a no-name actor, do you think he had the attitude of working as little as possible in order to get his wealth? He gets what he demands BECAUSE HE PUT IN THE HOURS AND THE HARD WORK. Yes, he not only worked "smart," he actually worked hard.
I watched WONDER WOMAN TWICE this weekend because I loved it. I thought of my patient who's been a highly sought-after movie editor for DECADES. He's overly swamped with work because he's one of the best in the industry. He's super successful. I guarantee you that he's not counting the hours to be highly paid. He's obsessed with his work, he puts out amazing results and he keeps getting hired. He gets paid what he demands because HE WORKS HARD AND SMART. He works more than 30 hours because he has so much work from so many movie companies that want the quality of HIS WORK. They love HIS WORK ETHIC. THEY TRUST HIM TO GET THE JOB DONE.
My kids watch a lot of dancers online, some of them are hip hop artists. Jabbawockeez are EVERYWHERE. Do you think they time their work hours and make sure they only work the minimum or do you think that THEY DO WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE THEIR PERFORMANCES BRILLIANT?
That young lady who was interviewed yesterday is NOT getting the job. You kids with your novice way of thinking, your lack of humility, your delusional mindset that if you make your demands heard while you try to educate someone who is far more experienced than you - you will get exactly what you get paid for AND LESS AND YOU WILL NEVER RISE TO THE TOP WITH THAT LAME ATTITUDE.
The golden rule to any successful business is putting out GREAT QUALITY OF SERVICE AND GREAT QUANTITY OF SERVICE = AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE.
You cannot ever become a leader if you cannot follow instructions well. No one will want to follow you and you will not have longevity in your career or business if your energy is all about selfishness instead of truly considering what MORE you can do to help others. Start with giving the best at your first job and work your way up.
Do more than what you are paid for. Eventually, you will get paid more than for what you do. Life will not do it the other way for you. You cannot give the minimum and get paid the maximum until you put in the time. Think of ANY CEO, artist, musician, business person, teacher, professor, etc...anyone who is at the top of their industry and ask them if they had that young lady's mentality at the beginning of their career and stayed with that lazy mentality. They'll laugh in your face.
If you want excellent pay, you have to have an excellent attitude. A boss can smell great work ethic miles away and the boss will go out of the way to hire that person. Great work ethic is really easy to spot. It's also very easy to spot laziness. The people in life who complain the most are usually the ones who are putting out very little effort to get ahead in life. They're like this little girl who's trying so hard to convince anyone and everyone that she wants to get paid well, but she's not willing to do what is asked of her. If working 40 hours is not suitable to her lifestyle, the answer is to stay quiet, thank the owner for his time and to leave the location.
I am self-employed. My acupuncture schedule is full 95%+ of the time. My bosses are my patients. I'm in the business of healing people. I'm in the business of marketing myself as a highly effective Balance Method acupuncturist. My late teacher, Grandmaster Dr. Richard Teh-Fu Tan, did not quit at 30 hours a week. He taught worldwide. He saw hundreds of patients weekly. He still has thousands of people following him, now through his most committed senior students. He was always working on his inventions. He was always innovating, always making things better, always figuring out how his method can be more effective and efficient. And he was very successful financially.
My business mentors are consumed with work, even though they don't need the money. They think about doing things to help their families. They give more than they receive. They teach by example.
The people who are the most wealthy and successful in my life do less talking than the people who are unsuccessful and complainers in my life.
Kids in your late teens and 20s, read books on how to really be successful. Shaun White didn't stop at minimum hours a week in order to be an amazing Olympian. Rob Dyrdek doesn't calculate the lowest hours he can work weekly in order to achieve his multiple successes. All of the successful, famous and well-paid musicians I know don't put out little hours to get the performances right.
The doctors, teachers, attorneys, martial arts teachers, law enforcement workers, etc., who are super successful in my life don't stop working at "30 hours;" they don't have the attitude of less is more; at least, they didn't when they first started. They DO THEIR JOB RIGHT BECAUSE THEY WANT THE JOB DONE RIGHT and they DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET IT DONE RIGHT. The great pay just happens to be there because they LOVE what they do.
Erase this seriously detrimental attitude of "less work is more" until you've put in 10-20-30+ years of REAL WORK, get the recognition and the high pay. If you can do it within 1-3 years, even better, but I promise you, you're not going to get very far with the attitude of entitlement.
NO ONE OWES YOU ANYTHING.
That's like putting in little work on a jiu-jitsu mat or in a boxing ring or any martial art and expecting to be just as good or better than someone who's training harder and longer than you. Don't count on luck to work in your favor unless you prepare for the opportunity to share REAL SKILLS. You can't just pick up a violin or any other musical instrument and play like a virtuoso, and if you can, that's a gift that the heavens gave you. Typically, you have to work hard and long for the black belt. Typically, you have to put in hours on a music instrument or in dance or whatever craft or intellectual pursuit you have before people will recognize your efforts.
Shine before you whine.
If you disagree with my opinions on this matter, I wish you great "luck" in life.