Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The harder you work, the luckier you get
By Barry Farber
Luck is created by increasing the frequency of those activities that are most likely to lead to success.
For instance, a salesperson who calls on 10 people will be luckier in terms of finding a viable prospect than will a salesperson who calls on two people. There’s no getting around it: It takes effort to get lucky.
Tiny pieces of luck seep into every small step you take toward your goal. Put all those steps together, and you’re more likely to get that lucky break!
Or, as the writer and educator Shelby Steele once said, “Opportunity follow struggle. It follows hard work. It doesn’t come before.”
The extra push
The one trait that makes some people more successful than most others is working past the general work ethic, putting more work into their job than the next person.
It’s that extra push that makes the difference, whether it’s finding ways to get new prospects, serving current customers, or working with a vendor. What counts most is the “behind the scenes” effort that your prospects and customers don’t see.
Hard work is never glamorous. Nobody sees it. There are no TV shows that begin with the announcer saying, “Today we’re interviewing the successful salesperson Bob Jones of Acme Corporation.”
Enjoy the benefits
So what caused high achievers to put in the extra effort? Sure, they have pressures and obligations like everyone else, bills they have to pay and goals they want to meet. But that’s not why they do it. They do it because they like to do it and they want to enjoy the benefits that hard work brings.
Luck is created by increasing the frequency of those activities that are most likely to lead to success.
For instance, a salesperson who calls on 10 people will be luckier in terms of finding a viable prospect than will a salesperson who calls on two people. There’s no getting around it: It takes effort to get lucky.
Tiny pieces of luck seep into every small step you take toward your goal. Put all those steps together, and you’re more likely to get that lucky break!
Or, as the writer and educator Shelby Steele once said, “Opportunity follow struggle. It follows hard work. It doesn’t come before.”
The extra push
The one trait that makes some people more successful than most others is working past the general work ethic, putting more work into their job than the next person.
It’s that extra push that makes the difference, whether it’s finding ways to get new prospects, serving current customers, or working with a vendor. What counts most is the “behind the scenes” effort that your prospects and customers don’t see.
Hard work is never glamorous. Nobody sees it. There are no TV shows that begin with the announcer saying, “Today we’re interviewing the successful salesperson Bob Jones of Acme Corporation.”
Enjoy the benefits
So what caused high achievers to put in the extra effort? Sure, they have pressures and obligations like everyone else, bills they have to pay and goals they want to meet. But that’s not why they do it. They do it because they like to do it and they want to enjoy the benefits that hard work brings.
# posted by Life Tips @ 2:07 PM 
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