You can’t control where you were born. You can’t control when you were born. You also can’t control what natural intelligence you are born with.
However, there are some things you CAN control – you can control how hard you work.
You Can’t Control How Lucky You Are
There is a common line of thinking that there is some luck in the world. And, this may be true. We’ve all been lucky at times. We’ve all felt that euphoria of a lucky moment. However, you can’t control how lucky your are. You can only control how hard you work.
To the extent that your hard work can influence your luck may have some truth to it. Which is the point of this article. Work hard. In the end it’s the only thing you can truly control. One way to think about it is this: Prepare to over prepare, rehearse, and review one more time.
The Best Interviewers Know
Have you ever watched a great television interview? Did it seem like the interviewer and subject were in sync? Did it seem like they were comfortable and at ease with each other?
If yes, then you have seen what the act and effort of hard work can do. Charlie Rose and Howard Stern both have very different styles and equally different audiences, but they are both excellent interviewers. They spend a lot of time behind the scenes and before the interview ever occurs to make sure that they nail it.
“There’s only one interview technique that matters… Do your homework so you can listen to the answers and react to them and ask follow-ups. Do your homework, prepare.” ~Jim Lehrer
The Best Athletes Know
The synergy, grace and fluid movements you see on the court, in the ball park, on the pitch or gridiron come with a lot of effort, practice and time. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. But, he took the time and put in the hard work to earn his spot in the hall of fame. It wasn’t luck. It was hard work.
“Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it.” ~ Mia Hamm
The Key is Action
You are in charge of how hard you are willing to work. You decide how much time you will commit to something. It’s your decision to determine how much effort you are willing to sacrifice. And I don’t mean sacrifice in a negative sense. I mean sacrifice in the sense that you know this is the RIGHT THING to be spending your time on RIGHT NOW.
Time management is a topic of a different discussion. But time management is closely tied to your ability to control your work. To control what you are willing to work on and to control when you are willing to commit to that task. Time is the one constant thing we each have given to us at the start of every day.
“Have the courage to act instead of react.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Control What You Can Control
When you take the initiative and put in the time you will find that your “luck” does increase. Is luck a function of the hard work you put in? I think the answer is yes. Thomas Jefferson thought so too.
“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
When you take the time to control what you can control start with this first:
Control How Hard You Work
It truly is the one thing you can control 100%.
Sure, there are other constraints that bind your time, but in reality you decide what those are. Unless you are conscripted into some form of service (which was likely your decision) then your time is your own. You decide when, where and how you will work.
How you spend your 24 hours every day will help you to stand out in your career. Planning and spending your time wisely will help you achieve more of the things that matter to you. When you plan effectively, you can share what your goals are and others may conspire to help you achieve them.
And, if you are a believer in such things you will find that your “luck” increases too.
Republished by permission. Original here.
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