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You’ve read several times in this book that achieving success will require some work on your part. Do you sigh and roll your eyes every time the idea of work comes up? Work sounds like, well, work. It doesn’t sound like fun. Success sounds like fun! Work sounds boring.
That does not have to be the case. Today you have an opportunity to change your concept of work. It does not have to be drudgery. Work is exhilarating if you’re doing something that inspires you and makes you think and grow.
Your assignment is to adopt a new definition of work. Start with your old beliefs. Write down words that describe work that you dislike. You might begin with “boring” and “hard.” Next, create a new description of work and start with words like “fun” and “exhilarating.” If you dislike work now, change your definition of it so that it is more appealing. Then look for work that fits your new concept.
Now, if you are currently earning a living in a job you intensely dislike, you may associate work with negative concepts. But wait a minute! You chose that job you hate. You can change direction and work at finding a more interesting and fulfilling position. In that case, the word “work” might be a new and exciting opportunity.
You can systematically exchange negative work that you are currently engaged in for more promising work that might help you reach success. Both of them require effort, but one is a whole lot more fun than the other.
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This price of success that Frank Lloyd Wright talks about in the quote above involves a wonderful and almost magical kind of work. It’s the work that will lead you to straight to success. Can you describe how this type of labor is different from the kind of work that is considered a chore?
One very important difference is conviction. People who attain awe-inspiring goals are almost single-minded in their purpose. They really believe in what they are doing. They feel like they are fulfilling a greater purpose through their exertion. They are excited about it and want to do whatever it takes to see it accomplished.
It is like the difference between climbing a mountain and working on a chain gang. Both tasks require a great deal of effort, but one is awe-inspiring and the other is hell. Not many of us would sign up for a chain gang if it wasn’t forced upon us. Similarly, it is likely that you will only be willing to pay the price of success if you are able to find something that inspires you. If you find your passion, then anything can be endured to see it to fruition. You won’t care if people tell you it’s impossible. You will find superhuman effort within yourself to see it through. That kind of drive and devotion creates the magic you need to become a success. Nothing less will do the trick. Are you willing to go that far?
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Here is another little spin on work. Work is the utilization of your talent. Talent doesn’t just appear on its own. You have to engage it in an activity to bring it out in a useful form. You are responsible for the gifts you have been given. They were entrusted to you. Are you going to waste them, or are you going to use them?
So get to work now while you have the light. You have a responsibility to turn your talents into something the rest of humanity can enjoy. Could you imagine how much we would have missed if Mozart had decided to play billiards all the time instead of writing down the beautiful music he had inside of him? Evidently, he sometimes did both at the same time, but that’s beside the point. He had an extraordinary talent, and he was responsible for bringing it into the light. Mozart worked and played with equal ferocity. He was a prolific composer, and he also performed all the time. That kind of schedule probably wasn’t a walk in the park, but Mozart must have understood that the gifts that were entrusted to him needed to be shared with the world.
It is your job to use the talents you have. If you are already doing so, it feels pretty good, doesn’t it? You know in your soul when you are engaged in something you were meant to do. That’s when work is pure joy. If you continue to be unsure of where your true talents lie, get to work on finding out. Journal about your questions and seek the answers. Success is born out of putting your talents to serious work.
