April 2022 Motivational Newsletter HARD WORK PAYS OFF

Hard Work Pays Off

Hopefully all of you have seen the iconic movie Forrest Gump at least once. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have seen it at least 20 times! For me, one of the most memorable lines was when Forrest said, “I am not a smart man.”  It was a true statement, yet he was successful at EVERYTHING he did, from running coast to coast to becoming an all-American football player, a world champion in chess and ping pong, and last but not least, the founder of a shrimp empire! This is my kind of movie. How did Forrest Gump accomplish all of these things? By working hard and not giving up. His heart was in everything he did. He believed he could do things, so he went ahead and did them.

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.“ – Vince Lombardi

Throughout my career I have worked hard to accomplish my goals. I believed I could do things, so I went ahead and did them. Having a strong work ethic is enough to put an average person like me on a level playing field with the best of the best. Someone else might have a better office, a better vehicle, better software, or more resources, but you can outperform them if your work ethic is better than theirs! (This is where you call me to come to your company and talk about building a better work ethic together.)

“Dreams can come true, but there is a secret. They’re realized through the magic of persistence, determination, commitment, passion, practice, focus and hard work. They happen a step at a time, manifested over years, not weeks.” – Elbert Hubbard

If you are willing to work hard, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to do. Somebody once said that the luckiest people seem to be the hardest workers. How true that is! I also believe GOD rewards hard workers. I agree with this quotation from legendary football coach Lou Holz: “Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the tradeoff they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference!”

Hard work is essential for any kind of success. The reward for putting in effort can be incredibly exciting. I’m not talking about material things. I am talking about the excitement you get from knowing that if you want something badly enough and you are willing to work hard to get it, it can be yours!

“Work hard and you’ll get what you need; work harder and you’ll get what you want.” – Prabakaran Thirumalai

Hard work does not guarantee success, but it would be tough to find anyone who has reached their goals without putting in the necessary effort. If you wish to do something that the average person can’t accomplish, you will have to work harder than the average person would be willing to work. Out of all the presentations I have made, one of my favorites is titled “How to avoid being labeled average.” If you want to accomplish anything, you should never be satisfied to put forth an average amount of effort! Life is much more fulfilling when you utilize your God-given talents. It is exhilarating when you achieve a goal because your path to success involved the four-letter word W O R K.

Hard work might include doing manual labor, putting in more hours at your job, devoting more time and energy to prospecting, or spending more time helping your coworkers. After I decided to get into real estate and go to real estate school in Dallas, Texas, I waited tables for quite a while to pay my bills while I was starting out in a straight-commission career.

When I realized that I was going to make real estate my passion, I created a path to get there. Then I had to develop a work ethic…which meant I had to do everything in my power to learn what the best of the best do. I had to put in the TIME to do this, which is how you build any career. I remember one time when I scheduled a meeting with some physicians who had started their own investment group. They were so busy that the only time when they could all be in the same room together was at 3 a.m. (this was long before Zoom was available). That was not my favorite time of day to do business, but I was willing to do whatever it took to become successful.

I love giving presentations to people who are determined to accomplish their goals. Most of the time, you just need a boost from someone like me, an outside voice, to help you get there. Why should you listen to me? Because I was in the same place where you are now. I’ve been there and done that, with no entitlements or any assistance beyond what I have in my heart. I would be thrilled to coach you or speak to your team or company about the benefits of hard work.

We all have the God-given ability and talent to work hard to fulfill our dreams, not just for us but for our loved ones who are depending on us to be a good role model.

If not now, then when? And if not you, then who?