Are you hard working or hardly working?

The question is easily answered by the fable shared on the 1st day of February*  - the eagle was bent on working hard while the chicken was fine in the world of "hardly working."

An Empowered Woman is one who knows the 5 Ws and 1 H of working hard and well. She knows Why, When and Where she needs to do What she has to do. She’s so good that she also knows How to do what she needs to do and Who can help her accomplish that and even How to get those resources to work for her.

I know that there is this old saying: “Hard work never killed anyone.” While I agree that there is some truth in it, it is not entirely true from my perspective. You may have noticed people who work very, very hard – doing the wrong thing or the right thing the wrong way, wrong time, wrong place and with the wrong people.

Not only can that lead to the “death” of your dreams and desires for a great future, it is a waste of time which is the same as a waste of life. For example, some of us may have been aware of the riots in Vancouver after a Hockey game in June last year. It must have been to his father’s dismay and disappointment that his son’s apology for the part he played was published in the papers on Father’s day.

A young man who had a very bright star – good athlete with a university scholarship – worked very hard during the riot - on the wrong thing; he destroyed his reputation and dimmed his future...how sad.

The flip side to this is those of us who believe that all we desire and dream of will come to us whether or not we work for them. I agree that “Dreams are extremely important. You can’t do it unless you imagine it.”** The way I see it, dreams put the “em” in the word “empowered.” We need to take time to think about what we’d like to do and become and then “power” that dream.

 

One of my brothers put this on his Facebook page: “Your dreams can't come through, unless you wake up...” neither will they come true (if I may add to that).

I found a couple more quotes too...and here’s my attempt at making a paragraph with them:

“Some people dream of success...while others wake up and work hard at it.”** Which side of the dots are you on?  Dreaming or Doing? Indeed, “all the so-called "secrets of success" will not work unless you do”*** – you can ask those who came up with those well-known “secrets.” If you think about it, “those at the top of the mountain didn't fall there;”*** It’s clear that “the difference between try and triumph is a little umph”**** - with the “umph” being your regular effort(s) because “success is a ladder you cannot climb with your hands in your pockets.”****

“People know you for what you've done, not for what you plan to do.”***
So back to my initial question: “Are you hard working or hardly working?”

If you’re hard working, are you working well and efficiently – the right way on the right things at the right place and time with the right resources? Challenge yourself to work hard, well and efficiently because “even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.”*****

The bottom line is:

“The only place where "success" comes before "work" is in the dictionary.”****** 

Proverbs 21:5 - The plans of a hard-working person lead to prosperity, but everyone who is always in a hurry ends up in poverty. (God's Word Translation)

 

Sources:

* http://empowered-women-excel.blogspot.ca/2014/02/why-eagles-flyand-chicken-flutter.html

**George Lucas

*** Author Unknown

****  American Proverb

***** Will Rogers

****** Attributed to: Vidal Sassoon, Donald Kendall and Vince Lombardi