“Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”- Tim Notke. That’s a quote I hear quite often as work ethic can be seen in many different aspects of day-to-day life. From Olympians to immigrants, being a hard worker has cemented itself as an integral part of American culture. I see work ethic manifesting itself here at PCH in a variety of ways. My friends on the cross country and distance track team, run miles upon miles each week all in the pursuit of excellence in races. In contrast, some of my friends are taking all AP/Honors level classes, grinding tirelessly and sacrificing to get those A+s. This always fascinated me because I’ve always considered myself to have a pretty subpar work ethic till this year. What separates my mediocre work ethic from someone with a 5.0 GPA or someone who lowers their 5k time from 25 minutes to 20 minutes? What makes someone a hard worker?
People with strong work ethic are willing to make sacrifices
Hard workers will do what it takes to reach their goals no matter what it is. Academically, they may lose sleep and study instead or sacrifice a spot for an elective for a more challenging weighted course. Athletically it may be shooting extra free throws, lifting more weights, or even running early in the morning. To be a hard worker means to not only endure hardship but to understand that going through hardship only makes someone better. No matter what, hard workers will study when they don’t want to study, train when they don’t want to train and work even if they aren’t feeling up to it.
Hard workers have some sense of motivation and goals
According to a study done by John Traugott of Michigan State University Extension 76% of people who write down their goals and provide weekly progress reports to a friend achieve their goals. I find this a commonality between people with a strong work ethic, without a strong goal, these people have nothing to work for in the first place and hence would have no room to work hard. Going hand and hand with goal setting is motivation, whether it be internal or external, motivation is what inspires one to keep chasing after their goals and working to achieve them in the first place. Motivation can come from all sorts of avenues, parents, teachers, and peers to name a few. Motivation can also stem from within like a desire to be great or achieve something.
Working Hard requires not changing through adversity
No matter what, those who have a great work ethic never give up, even when times are hard. In my opinion, what makes hard workers so successful is their dedication to their craft and their willingness to never give up. I think that one thing Parkway Central has taught me that I won’t forget is how to work through adversity. Freshman and Sophomore year I would often give up when things didn’t go my way or I would get very discouraged from trying my hardest after I got a bad test score or lost playing time on a sports team. I think that people who don’t get enough credit for their hard work through adversity are the teachers here at PCH. Teachers here at Central not only have to maintain the rigorous academic standards PCH is known for but they also have to deal with the overall craziness of high school kids in general. Teachers still, however, grade papers, and tests, and provide support to students amidst the chaos that 14-18 year olds bring. Hard workers realize that despite their hard work not paying off right away, if they continue to grind it will eventually pay off.
Balance is key
One qualm I have with the beliefs around hard work is that it is tied to being a “workaholic” (a person who overindulges in their workload). In my opinion, the people with the best work ethic also have things to enjoy outside of the thing they are working towards. In order to keep a high level of productivity many hard-working people have, I believe it is essential to not get burnt out from it. Having a balanced life with other passions and hobbies helps fuel other areas of work ethic like motivation as well. The best workers are the ones who not only know how to turn it on and grind super hard but also are the ones who know when to relax and take a break
Working hard is also working smart
In my observations of the hardest-working individuals here at PCH, I have found that they never exert more energy on a task than they should. Granted, when hard workers have to put in a lot of effort into achieving one of their goals they do it, however, when they don’t need to extend more of their energy on something they don’t. This allows them to save their energy and save their effort for something more rigorous and important versus a more trivial task that they can already succeed in. Hard workers also know how to use that energy, they do their research on whatever they are passionate about, they ask questions, and they know how to achieve their goals and what steps they need to take.
Although my work ethic has drastically improved since being a freshman I recognize how difficult working hard can be. There are a lot of biological factors that impact hard work that I can’t control, quite frankly working hard comes easier to some people rather than others. The culture around hard work is also inherently flawed as America has systemic barriers that get in the way of a perfect meritocracy. However hard work is something that I find very beautiful and is something that I think can be honed and mastered.
