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Remember Hard Work?
Why This Old-Fashioned Virtue Can Lift You Out of the Recession and Propel You to the Top

There’s never been a tougher time to be a part of the job market, and people are scrambling to show employers they have what it takes. Bestselling author Jon Gordon says that the secret to success may be simpler than you thought.

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably spent the past year fretting: about the economy, the stock market, the job market, the future. Maybe you’ve spent so much time worrying about what /could /happen that you’ve lost sight of the plans you had all along. You know, those dreams about getting ahead and aspiring to bigger and better things. It’s easy to get complacent, even in the good times. But when you’re paralyzed by fear that it could all be gone tomorrow, the temptation to lie low and not make waves can be almost overwhelming.

Don’t succumb, urges bestselling author Jon Gordon. Now is actually the /perfect/ time to get ahead. And the secret to succeeding has little to do with an impressive degree (or pedigree) or with knowing the right people. In fact, it’s not a secret at all but something society seems to have almost forgotten about: hard work.

“If you think you’re already working hard at your job, think again,” says Gordon, author of the new book Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else (Wiley, 2009, ISBN: 978-0-470-46208-9, $22.95). “You can’t expect to show up each day and just do your job and think that’s going to cut it. What you have to do is make sure that you are never outworked.”

Think about the successful people you know. Celebrities. Politicians. CEOs. Yes, most are talented and special in some way, but when you start to look closer, you may realize they aren’t that different from the average person. What sets them apart? Their drive. Take Will Smith, for example: When asked by an interviewer to explain his success, he responded:

“I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. You may be more talented than me. You might be smarter than me. And you may be better looking than me. But if we get on a treadmill together, you are going to get off first or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple. I’m not going to be outworked.”

True, Will Smith is charismatic, funny, and a great actor, but so are plenty of other people in Hollywood. The secret to his success, according to him, is his work ethic. While working hard may seem like a simple enough idea (and it is!), most people just don’t do it.

Now is the time to start, says Gordon. By really pouring on the “elbow grease,” you can not only set yourself apart from the less ambitious around you, you can help pull your company’s tail out of the fire or maybe even start a thriving business of your own.
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