You never know when opportunity is going to show up, but if you are willing to put in a little extra effort—especially when you don’t have to—then you might be inviting opportunity in. You can’t predict where these seemingly minor tasks will lead you. You might meet a future employer on the night you help your friend with a catering job. You could very well discover a new invention when you’re trying to fix a broken appliance. A radio contest might give your new brainstorm just the exposure it needs.
Your assignment today is to actively search for new opportunities. Opportunity almost never looks like a winning lottery ticket or an unexpected inheritance. It is more likely to come to you in the form of something you don’t have the time or energy to take on. Nevertheless, seize that opportunity. Do the right thing when someone requires your help or a better solution needs to be worked out. Take the time, and you will reap the benefits.
DAY
293
“Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun.”
— Colleen C. Barrett
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.
DAY
294
“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”
— Frank Lloyd Wright
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?
DAY
295
“Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.”
— Henri Frederic Amiel
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.
DAY
296
“Joy is the best make up.”
— Anne LaMott
Cheryl was bursting with happiness. She finally discovered her true talents after months of searching, and she felt a renewed sense of purpose that invigorated her from the inside out. Cheryl had a lot of work ahead of her, but she was bursting with joy at the thought of taking a new direction. She showed up at work bright and early, and everyone she came across noticed the change. Joy looked great on her! People asked her if she got a haircut, a makeover, a face lift, liposuction—each comment was funnier than the one before. The simple fact was that Cheryl was bursting with happiness. She found joy, and it made her look radiant. No amount of plastic surgery could have done a better job than the makeover she gave herself from the inside out.
Are you finding the joy in your life? Don’t despair if you’re not quite there yet. Sometimes it takes a little practice. Start with small things. Do old black-and-white movies make you happy? Then rent one tonight. Do you enjoy babysitting your niece or nephew? Call up your sister and make plans to do that sometime very soon. Do you like to cook? Get in the kitchen and get busy. Don’t underestimate the power of joy. You don’t have to wait for it to come. You can make it happen as often as you want.