I must have been about 8 years old when my grandfather gave me this penholder with this message. It’s one of my most treasured possessions, and it sits on my office table looking at me ☺
It means a lot to me because I didn’t get to see my grandfather that often as he lived far away from us in Hong Kong whilst I grew up in the UK. Fortunately, I got to spend a few long summers with him whilst my parents went to trade fairs and visited family.
The message itself is something that runs in the family, we all pride ourselves on a strong work ethic because we love what we do. It’s one of those things that inspires me in my work, to keep up the efforts no matter what.
Recently a few newsletters I subscribe to quoted basketball star Damian Lillard on hard work: “If you want to look good in front of thousands, you have to outwork thousands in front of nobody.”
It reminds me of the overnight success stories that are never really overnight. It’s the work behind the scenes that often goes unnoticed, it’s the late-night and weekend work, it’s doing stuff that scares the beep out of you.
Which is why I think it’s so important to enjoy what you do because when you are in it for the long run, you might not see rewards and success initially but keep at it because of today’s efforts, tomorrow’s success.