Taking pride in yourself and in your craft are the easiest ways to get ahead.
“How many people take pride in their work? I mean real pride?
Very few.
Most do the bare minimum they can while they trade their time for dimes.
What most don’t understand is that taking even a marginal amount of pride in your work makes not succeeding damn near impossible.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
I’m drawn to a lot of old school professionals.
From woodworkers to glasscutters, I care far less about what the ‘trade’ is and far more about the craftsmanship and pride one takes in his or her work.
It’s so easy to tell who takes real pride in their work from those who just go through the motions.
I’ve learned that the vast majority out there are just there to collect a check.
“What is the minimal amount of work I can do to elicit the reception of my tokens that I have traded my time for?”
People show up, mindlessly swing their (figurative) hammer, and then rinse and repeat the process, hoping they can stay on long enough to keep collecting their checks, until they see (perceived) greener grass.
Not only is this a disservice to the corporation you’re working for, it’s a disservice to yourself.
But again, in this robotic, “amazon has it” world we are living in, the need for personal pride has gone out the window because instead of having to answer to the man in the mirror, you can busy your time with social media to camouflage yourself from yourself.
But what happens if you take pride in yourself & pride in your work? I mean real pride?
I’ll tell you.
Not succeeding, especially in this day in age of cookie cutter, retrofitted everything, is damn near impossible.
I mean seriously, taking even the most marginal amount of pride in your work, in a world where few people are anymore, is the absolute easiest way to differentiate yourself.
Taking pride in your work doesn’t cost anything or require skill, either.
But taking pride in your work will pay you handsomely and increase your skills in the process. Talk about a good deal.
I talk to young, aspiring professionals all the time, mainly in my field of Strength & Fitness, but I think these truths are global.
If you want to be successful, here is the blueprint:
1) Show up on time.
2) Communicate.
3) Be eager to learn.
4) Work really hard.
5) Take pride in your work.
That’s literally all it takes.
That’s the whole formula.
The little things are the big things.
It’s so simple, it’s hard.
