I have decided that I am not sure that I truly understand the definition of the words dedication and hard work. Obviously, the meanings of those two concepts are easy to comprehend however; most people, myself included have no idea what it means to be dedicated or to work hard. What got me pondering this line of thought are my daily interactions with people who complain about the situations they are in, people like myself. I will save my thoughts about complaining for another day, but a common theme from these individuals is that they work hard and get nowhere.
The meaning of dedication as put forth by Webster's dictionary is "a self-sacrificing devotion to a cause". To me this used to mean working towards something here and there while having a goal in mind. I think most people probably feel they are dedicated to their work or their hobbies. After some thought I think most of us mistake dedication for just showing up. I have a friend who wishes to play golf professionally. This is no easy undertaking, in fact it is probably one of the hardest things to accomplish in athletics simply because you do not have to be a super tall or super large physical specimen, almost any person with any body type can play and play well. My friend used to think that practicing daily and playing here and there is dedication. In truth he was just showing up. Dedication would be devoting every spare moment possible to practice, saving money to play in events even if it meant not having that new iPhone or working a night shift to maximize the daylight hours. That would be true dedication. How many of you have a dream or goal, maybe writing a novel or learning to play the guitar? How about learning a new language or getting a college degree? I bet everyone has some kind of goal but I would bet almost no one is truly dedicated to it. The easiest way to find out how dedicated you are is to simply ask yourself "what have I sacrificed and what discomforts have I endured in pursuit of my goal?"
Hard-work is another issue altogether. It is simpler to understand than dedication but at the same time more difficult to master. Hard-work is not getting up at 6:00 a.m. to go to the gym and do your workout. It is getting up and going to the gym and pushing yourself to your limit on that day. This analogy can be applied to everything in life I believe. Maybe your job is in sales and today you are supposed to go see four of your current clients. Doing that is work for sure but hard work would be visiting your four quickly and efficiently and maybe going out a finding a new client on the same day. Everyone that I know personally who is successful in his/her field does not just work they work hard at their craft. I admittedly do not.
The purpose of this rant is not to call anyone out or for me to try to sound superior because I count myself in the group of people who are deceiving themselves about their dedication and their hard-work. I am simply trying to make more people aware of what it takes to be truly successful. As for me, now that I have had my eyes opened a bit, I am going to see if I can be dedicated and work hard to meet my own goals so one day I can look myself in the mirror and reflect on my sacrifice and hopefully enjoy what my hard work has given me.
The meaning of dedication as put forth by Webster's dictionary is "a self-sacrificing devotion to a cause". To me this used to mean working towards something here and there while having a goal in mind. I think most people probably feel they are dedicated to their work or their hobbies. After some thought I think most of us mistake dedication for just showing up. I have a friend who wishes to play golf professionally. This is no easy undertaking, in fact it is probably one of the hardest things to accomplish in athletics simply because you do not have to be a super tall or super large physical specimen, almost any person with any body type can play and play well. My friend used to think that practicing daily and playing here and there is dedication. In truth he was just showing up. Dedication would be devoting every spare moment possible to practice, saving money to play in events even if it meant not having that new iPhone or working a night shift to maximize the daylight hours. That would be true dedication. How many of you have a dream or goal, maybe writing a novel or learning to play the guitar? How about learning a new language or getting a college degree? I bet everyone has some kind of goal but I would bet almost no one is truly dedicated to it. The easiest way to find out how dedicated you are is to simply ask yourself "what have I sacrificed and what discomforts have I endured in pursuit of my goal?"
Hard-work is another issue altogether. It is simpler to understand than dedication but at the same time more difficult to master. Hard-work is not getting up at 6:00 a.m. to go to the gym and do your workout. It is getting up and going to the gym and pushing yourself to your limit on that day. This analogy can be applied to everything in life I believe. Maybe your job is in sales and today you are supposed to go see four of your current clients. Doing that is work for sure but hard work would be visiting your four quickly and efficiently and maybe going out a finding a new client on the same day. Everyone that I know personally who is successful in his/her field does not just work they work hard at their craft. I admittedly do not.
The purpose of this rant is not to call anyone out or for me to try to sound superior because I count myself in the group of people who are deceiving themselves about their dedication and their hard-work. I am simply trying to make more people aware of what it takes to be truly successful. As for me, now that I have had my eyes opened a bit, I am going to see if I can be dedicated and work hard to meet my own goals so one day I can look myself in the mirror and reflect on my sacrifice and hopefully enjoy what my hard work has given me.