Working hard is not the problem.
The problem is working with someone who hasn’t got it figured out.
Work is over when the job is done.
Sounds easy enough?
I had a guy quit on me at work.
Sure, it was five o’clock, but things weren’t quite finished.
But they were for him and what can you say?
I said let’s finish and put things away.
He said that’s what tomorrows are for, and he was right.
The difference between us is how we saw the company.
Working For The Man Every Night And Day
He saw the company as an adversary milking him for every ounce of energy he had.
I didn’t see the company, just the work, and with that in mind I wasn’t a clock watcher.
It was time to go and he left; I spent an extra fifteen minutes getting organized for the next day.
I liked the help, liked the companionship, but didn’t like the quitter.
The next day I left him off the project.
I could have adjusted, watched the clock, and got things done in a more timely fashion, but that’s not my style.
He wasn’t going to make me adjust.
Working hard is a habit that he didn’t have.
Instead of feeling persecuted and unappreciated like him, I felt like a boss and worked like a boss.
(I’ve never been The Boss.)
My deal was simple: if you don’t feel like getting after things, do something else.
Get Enough Rest, Take Breaks, Push On
Let’s agree, life isn’t easy, but some days are easier than others.
A hard day gets harder when people put up hurdles that don’t belong in the way.
I’m no hard-ass, but why not kick it in when you feel like it?
That’s the question I asked a tenp worker who had been a union man.
It didn’t sit well with him.
“Never show up a brother,” he said.
He was a good guy set in his ways and would never change.
For me it’s more about adapting to conditions.
Working hard means taking one step after another with an eye on the top.
Then, when you get there, take in the view.
You’ve done it.
Now is the time to appreciate the scenery.
About David Gillaspie
