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I was never the best at anything growing up. I like to think I was in the top percentile, but I was never number one. But I never really had to try. High School was a joke. I was on the sports teams, I was popular, and I was in accelerated classes. But I never really had to put my maximum effort into anything. My mother always told me that I should “give it my all,” and that “I wasn’t reaching my full potential.” But like any punk 14-18 year-old, I completely blew her off. I was way more interested in figuring out how to take a bra off a girl (it’s like a monkey puzzle back there) and drinking warm Busch Lights that my friends and I stashed in the woods.
College was much of the same story. Sure, there were some late nights were I drank enough coffee and took enough Adderall that would take down an adolescent water buffalo. But I was never truly worried about my classes. The grades still came in the same, I lived in the 85-93 range my entire educational career. I made my parents proud, but never too proud.
Some of peers were going to Harvard, or interning with NASA, or Winning Cross Country National Championships. I followed along closely on Facebook. “Maybe I should try a little harder,” was always a fleeting thought before I would go drink keg Pabst Blue Ribbon at house parties or shell out $1 for shots at the local establishment.
Graduation came quickly- way too quickly. This time last year I was worried about who my fraternity was mixing with. Now I’m sitting at my desk winding down after an arduous Post-Thanksgiving work week. My job is a standard entry-level affair. I answer phones and tackle spread sheets and I do it as well as anyone can. I would say its A- work.
There are no more hot sweaty and crowded house parties. There are no bars with floors so sticky that it feels like you’re walking through quicksand. Like the rest of us, I’m staring down the barrel of 40+ years of work. Maybe this is my realization that I’m not a kid anymore, and I’m just mourning the loss of my youth. I see people succeeding every day and I wonder “why can’t that be me?”
The reason why people succeed is simple. They try harder than the rest of us. While most of us are content to put out a B+ or an A-, they strive to go that extra mile. They work harder and they’re better people for it. It took me well into my 20s to realize that I can’t coast by anymore.
I think it’s time to start some A+ work..
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basementzack
I recently graduated college with high hopes and dreams. I now live in my parent's basement.
@kakuda14
@kakudadoee
Henry Ford once said “I will hire a lazy man to figure out a difficult challenge, because he’ll find the easiest solution.” Explaining this to professors/bosses over the years has not been successful….
$ 89 per hour Seriously, I do not know why more people have not tried it, I work two shifts, 2 hours in the day and 2 in the evening … and I receive an unsatisfactory check for $ 12520 which is genial is Im Works from home if I get more time with my children.H#!2.
This is what I do. >>>>>>>>> http://www.CareerToday00.Tk
go to hell robot
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately since my life is fairly similar. I never really had to try and everything has worked out fairly well. I with you on the A+ work game. Nice article.
In today’s work world, if you don’t put in the effort, your boss will find someone who will for the same pay.
Or even less pay. Gotta remember you’re easily replaceable. Not you, Jesus, but you know what I mean.
One and only Son of God, baby!
Jesus doesn’t have post grad problems, just post resurrection problems.
If you work smarter, you don’t necessarily have to work harder. I have coworkers that bust their ass way more than I do and are struggling.
I started a new job about 3 months ago. I’ve automated about 75% of my work to the point that I probably work 10-15 hours per week. I’ll look like a top performer for the next year, and then when I get bored, I might show my boss a few of these things little by little. No reason to sign myself up for extra work.
username checks out
I think all it takes is the realization that getting a promotion is no longer a guarantee the same way it was in school where you were promoted from junior to senior status because you were there for a year and didn’t fuck it up entirely. When you see the person who’s the same age as you and is higher up on the rung, you can either get your shit together or get out.
Fucking analytics has really ruined the coasting lifestyle.
This hit way too close to home. I’ve been at my job about a year and a half and “I’m new and still learning” isn’t cutting it anymore. Great post.
Can confirm that laziness pays dividends. I’m the office Excel expert and most of my knowledge comes from being too lazy to do repetitive things over and over again and looking for formulas to speed things up.
Just go back to get your MBA after working for a few years. It’s more debauched than undergrad.
Dude, don’t worry you’ll soon realize that some of the most useless people work at big companies and they give away and make shit tons of money and don’t actually do much. Just ride the swivel chair into retirement and then go travel a bit before you get sick and die.