Leading and Love

We watched a video of a mother in Haiti who spends countless hours searching for gold in the mud. This is how she feeds her family. She does it because she knows there is gold and the only way she can find it is by continuously searching. Any amount she finds, no matter how small, she keeps it. Every so often she goes to the merchant to see how much cash she can get. If she doesn't like the bargain, she hangs on to her nugget and continues working. Even though it will always be muddy during her search, all the gold she finds ultimately compounds into the value that she is seeking.

There is nothing really new here. It's more of a reminder to those who forgot, a cry to those who don't believe, and a kudos to those who continue to refuse to quit. 

Idea #1

Hard work compounds and valuable things usually come out of hard work. A successful career, doing well in school, a strong marriage, and parenting are just examples. These are situations where the tide or the current can suddenly change. If you're stuck in a river, you have to swim hard just to not get washed away. The positive gains are not obvious but if you think about the negative gains, then the value of battling against the current becomes more apparent.

Idea #2

You need to know what your outcome is worth. If you rely solely on others to validate your worth then they will typically do so in their favor and not in yours. Set your benchmark and stand by it. If you undersell yourself, the guilt will haunt you as soon as the exchange is complete.  Don't stop working hard until you get what you want. As you continue to work hard and value yourself appropriately you will get better at spotting the results that you want.

Quote #1

"Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference." - Lou Holtz

Quote #2

Hard work compounds like interest, and the earlier you do it, the more time you have for the benefits to pay off. - Sam Altman

Quote #3

Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No Excuses. -Kobe Bryant

Challenge

What makes you valuable? How much more valuable can you become?

Affirmation

I am valuable now and I will increase my value daily.