The beauty of hard work is that anyone who is sound can do it. If you spend more time honing your craft, your success rate is greater than that of the average person.
If you happen to be rich, well connected, and have the look of a movie star, combining these advantages with a ruthless effort may make you unthinkable.
But for most of us, people who are by definition average – our biggest asset is our work ethics. The only way forward is to continue pushing, refining and showing up even if we don’t like it. Successfully won the people who work day after day.
Missed opportunities due to lack of noise and follow-up
One of my goals for 2025 is to sell my old house and simplify life. Although I’m still bullish on San Francisco real estate due to the continued technological wealth created, I’m also exceeding the limit on the number of rental properties I’m going to manage. In the fourth quarter of 2023, I bought another house and rented an old house for a year.
Now, with the flexibility of commission rates and another year of stock market earnings, I think now is a good time to sell and reinvest earnings to 100% passive income investment. I gave this place and I regret not trying any.
As part of the plan, I identified two real estate agents. The first was the intermediate agent who initially sold me to my house. During the 2020 lockdown we connected for hours of private one-to-point matches. The second is that I have known about a top agent since I moved to the west side of San Francisco in 2014.
Since the mid-term agent struggled for me during the purchase process, I wanted to return by hiring him. He is also willing to charge a lower commission rate. But when I give him the opportunity to serve him other I considered the property for sale in 2024 and he failed to follow up for two weeks after visiting the home.
As a result, I decided to interview top agents because of her excellent track record of selling homes in the area.
Top Agents Want More
After an hour of meeting with both agents, I told them I would be back from a family vacation on December 31, 2024. I didn’t give them any specific instructions – I’d rather not tell others what to do. I just used it as a subtle test to see how long it would take for them to follow up.
Top agents followed up on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, signing up to my journey forward and I stand in the sales position. On the other hand, mid-level agents followed up until Friday, January 17, but no marketing game plan was provided.
It is reasonable to wait for the new week to follow up. After the holidays, people are very busy. But wait for 17 days? This shows a lack of urgency, especially since I went on vacation for eight days. If I plan to list next month, there will be a lot of preparations to coordinate.
Ultimately, I chose a top agent because of her work ethics. She even met her on Tuesday’s agent tour the morning after she reached out. It feels like fate. With her, I have confidence that things will be done without having to chase her.
Finally, the noise and follow-up. The mid-level agent had another chance, but he let it slip away. I’ve been taking root for him because I’ve always liked to take root for losers.
Work hard to minimize regrets
When you’re not a top producer yet, hard work, busyness and follow-up are your biggest equals. You have to make your prospect feel like you are your top priority. Your lack of accomplishment can be compensated by ruthless dedication and excellent service.
Sorry is one of the worst feelings because it often means you don’t work too hard. Even if you make a wrong decision, work hard for the chosen path to minimize regrets. Why? Because you give your all. The most obvious antidote is to put in effort.
Some examples of regret minimizing through hard work:
- If you study hard in high school, you won’t regret missing out on your top college choices, and you will know you’ve tried your best.
- If you show up early and are late at work, you may still be disappointed that you are not promoted. But you won’t regret the effort.
- If you always call or text your parents multiple times a week, you won’t regret the relationship you have formed with them once they leave. Even if they don’t, you will do everything you can to keep a strong connection.
- If you practice exercise diligently every day of the week, you won’t feel sorry if you don’t win
Even if things don’t go as planned, know that your best efforts will make you more satisfied.
Everyone should work for a long time
If there is an undeniable benefit to working in banking, it is the cruel time you are forced to endure for years before you taste some success. Even if you serve as managing director, your rewards are often more the same – long time and unremitting pressure.
But maybe it’s a harder job? Job minimum wage service role. These jobs usually get you up all day long, performing repetitive tasks while managing frustrated clients that demand perfection. The hard work that is put into practice can instill a deep appreciation for any future work that provides more satisfaction and opportunities.
I wonder if some people lack the hustle and bustle simply because they have never experienced endless grinding before? Maybe life is too easy. I have no idea.
Conquer the Morning
If you can wake up at 7 a.m. to build someone else’s vision, you can wake up at 5 a.m. to build your own vision. Do it!
I was stationed on the 49th floor when I was working at Goldman Sachs in New York Square. Our day begins at 5:30 a.m. – four hours before the stock market opens. One of my roles as a financial analyst is to compile all the necessary information the night before and early morning so that traders, sellers and salespeople are fully prepared to speak to their clients.
Enter at 5:30 AM and leaving after 7:00 PM every day is not fun, but it trained me to make the most of the early morning. In the morning, you have the greatest energy and concentration. By solving the toughest tasks as early as possible, the rest of the day becomes easier to manage.
Fast forward 26 years and I still wake up every day from 4:30 to 6:00 am. Since I have children, this habit becomes even more important. Caring for young children requires a lot of energy and attention. They can always be felt when you are distracted. Waking up early allows me to finish writing and then there is a beautiful chaos.
Whether you are building side-business, solving to-do lists, or leaving time for personal growth, conquering your morning is key.
It is shameful to lack opportunities due to lack of effort
Whenever someone asks me for advice on success, I always say: “Due to lack of effort, it will never fail because effort does not require skill.“ For those who take this spell seriously, I often see them accomplishing great things.
Unfortunately, too many people destroy themselves by giving up their work ethics too early, or worse yet, completely. If you know success is just another call, another email, another customer meeting, another video, or another product, why stop it?
However, there are still people working 40 hours or less per week and then complaining about why they can’t succeed. Confusing, especially those It’s already far away Continue to invest more than 40 hours a week to maintain the lead.
You don’t have to work hard forever
I know some people are upset when reading my job, but the reality is that your competition doesn’t care about how you feel. This is a world of cruel competition. Without consistent efforts, you will never be able to lead the average person.
Yes, I understand that this article feeds on “noisy culture” and some consider it toxic, especially when it feels burned. But my point is not that you have to grind indefinitely, but that you have to work hard when it matters most.
The window of opportunity is smaller than you think. Everyone can participate when you have the ability to improve (whether it’s logging in to customers, ensuring promotions or building something meaningful). Because eventually, you will encounter the ceiling and those rare chances of accelerating your success will disappear.
If I could go back to time, I would start the Financial Warrior as soon as possible—rather than wait until 2009 at 32. Part-time job for 20 hours. However, after graduation, I let three years slip away before launching this site. what a shame.
Competition is now global
It’s not just the local competitors you’re facing. You are also competing with hungry, firmer international competitors who see how many opportunities there are in the United States and are willing to get rid of yours.
For example, while we have been investing billions of dollars in AI development, countries like China have managed to catch up with fewer resources. how? They work harder and innovate out of necessity because they have no other luxury to do so. Like it or not, we will face domestic and international competition. If we are not careful, we will pass.
Work is a huge equalizer. Due to lack of effort, the shame of losing opportunities is completely avoidable. If you see success, put in the work and spend it just by spending time and determination.
Reader, what do you think prevents people from working harder to succeed? How important do you think a strong work ethic is to build above-average wealth? Are we overly complacent in the United States because life is relatively comfortable here?
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