When you hear the term work ethic what do think about?
By definition it means the principle that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward.
Those are some pretty powerful words. Good work ethic means you take it upon yourself to work hard with no short cuts and that you are worthy of any rewards that come your way as a result.
When I was 14 years old I was asked what my goals were as a baseball player. Like most kids that age, I wanted to take it as far as I could and possibly play in the pros. Then I was asked what I was going to do to get there? I gave the generic answer, “Work hard in practice, listen to my coaches, and always give 100%.”
My coach answered, “That’s a good start.” A good start I thought?
“What are you doing that separates you from the other 95% of baseball players?” my coached asked.
My answer was surprising shocking considering I was always considered one of the hardest workers at practice, “Nothing.” I was doing just as much as the guy next to me but nothing that I would consider worthy of reward.
Work Ethic – The principle that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward.
I don’t like the term good work ethic because I believe you either have work ethic or you don’t.
As 2011 comes to a close I want you to reflect on what you did to stand out among the other players or coaches. If you can confidently say I had work ethic this past year then keep on doing your thing.
This up coming year should be your year to have the principle that your hard work is intrinsically virtuous and you reap any rewards that you are worthy of.
