“Choose people with a work ethic & integrity. Everything else can be trained.”
I have ideas, visions, dreams, and plans cross my mind and my desk every day. Many of these are prime opportunities for businesses or ministries that could have big “returns on investment”–spiritually as well as financially. Others are great ideas that need smart and innovative implementation. Others are long-term dreams that will need years of development and fostering.
The thing I am searching for daily, however, are people who are willing to roll up their sleeves, put in 12 hour days, take on a second job, and see a project through to completion. Someone who can take the initiative to make hard decisions, take risks, and work independently to see a dream become reality.
None of these great ideas will come to reality through magic. None of them will materialize out of thin air from desire and passion alone.
I’m looking for some people who aren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty and breaking a sweat.
So what is so hard about hard work? Why does it put people off?
It hurts.
Simply put, hard work hurts. It’s going to make your muscles ache. It’s going to raise your stress level. You’re going to have to get up early when you’d rather be sleeping. But we must look ahead to our goal, and realize that the aching muscles and the headaches will all be worth it when we enjoy the “fruits of our labor.”
Here is where our heart, our motivation and self-discipline, have to kick in. Can we keep working once we have a setback? When we are out of breath and out of strength?
I was taking a hike with some friends this past weekend and there were sections of the trail that were plain hard. Rocky, loose soil, steep incline, hot sun … I was sucking wind. There comes a point where you simply have to will your feet to move up and down. Pick ’em up, put ’em down.
It would be easier to just stop…
You’re going to want to stop.
One thing you’ll find with hard work: There will be multiple opportunities to pack it in.
“Why don’t we just extend this break a little longer?”
“You know what? …it’s just not worth it. Let’s stop.”
“I can’t go on any longer…”
Sometimes our heart has to override our head. Sometimes the smashed thumb, instead of giving us an excuse to quit, can remind us what it’s like to be alive. Sometimes working through the pain becomes part of the journey.
It’s going to take a long time.
This may be the hardest part. The wait. The consistency. The monotony. When someone says the word “commitment” to you and you start to think in weeks and months… there may be a problem. Commitment means you’re in for the long-haul. So that means if the project takes a year, you’ll stick with it. Hey, if it is something you believe in and enjoy, and you are continuously making progress, your “hard work” may take a lifetime.
But trust me, …
Hard work pays off.
I won’t lie–it’s going to be hard, you’re going to want to stop, and it’s going to take a long time. But if you’re willing to put in the hard work, there will be a payoff. Always. You may see the result in a successful business (money), a successful ministry (people), or maybe your reward will come in knowing you can complete a hard task until it’s completed.