Work Happens

I haven’t shared another blog with you in a while, but this is a good one…and challenging! Brace yourself!

By Eric Parks, Monvee Founder.

I recently read, “Making dreams happen doesn’t take money, it takes sweat.” There is something about that statement that rings true, and yet it for many is the single biggest reason why they will never achieve what they have set out to. One of the secrets to greatness is really no secret at all. The secret…hard work.

Unfortunately much of our perception of greatness hinges on the flawed idea of talent. But the truth is that natural gifting plays little to no role in someone achieving greatness. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, calls it the “10,000 hour rule”. He suggests that the key to success in any field has nothing to do with talent. It’s simply practice….10,000 hours of it – or 20 hours a week for 10 years. Greatness is not gifted to anyone, it truly is built on the bedrock of an exceptional work ethic.

And it is important to note that hard work as it applies to achieving greatness has to be sustained. It’s not enough to work hard at your job for a “season”. Work ethic is working hard over a long period of time. Just look at people who have achieved greatness in the fields of music, literature. By and large, elite performers need 20 or 30 years of experience before hitting their zenith. Justin Beiber being the obvious exception…

You can be talented, smart, charming and gifted but if you are not willing to apply all of that to consistent and focused work…and I mean really dedicating yourself to the idea of hard work, it won’t matter. Hard work can overcome ignorance, lack of knowledge, lack of talent, and lack of skill. But no combination of knowledge, talent, or skill can overcome a deficiency in the area of work ethic.

So why does this matter…because if you are reading this post, you are probably someone who has given himself or herself to advancing God’s kingdom here on earth. You are God’s plan for redemption… you achieving “optimal influence through your leadership”, becoming what God had in mind when he thought of you, and advancing what he has put before you is critical. Why push, struggle and sweat when life itself can be hard enough? Because you achieving greatness is what God has called you to. And, as you read this post, let me remind you of the day God called you, and to say to you, with as much urgency as I can muster, you are not done yet!!

You may be tired, exhausted, frustrated, discouraged, ready to quit, disenfranchised, disheartened, spent, but, I urge you: keep going! Keep fighting, keep sweating. Keep working. The task before us is to critical for us to do anything less.