21 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
21 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

What happened to all the hard workers?

by john17
17 replies
Am I the only that feels that most people are not hard workers anymore?

Initially, I thought it was just my generation. (People in their 20's) - but I now feel as if nearly the entire world has lost their work ethic.

I believe it all started with that ridiculous quote that say's "Work smart, not hard."

I believe that to be absolutely crazy...

Sure, work smart. But also work hard. Very hard.

This relates to the internet marketing world as I see most of the info products coming out are aimed and marketed in a way that pushes people to be lazy and "barely lift a finger."

If you ever want to run a successful internet business - you better do a lot more than click your mouse and barely lift a finger. You better be a hard-working, smart-working, relentless and determined entrepreneur.

This is a bit of rant, I realize. Just been astonished by the lack of work ethic that I see online and off.

Any others feel me?
#happened #hard #work ethic #workers
  • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
    I work harder because I am lazy. The way I see it is I work 7 days a week, 14 hours a day for a few years then I can retire and spend the rest of my life chilling on a beach somewhere.

    The reason marketing comes out saying its "push button simple" and makes you "massive money on autopilot" and all the other garbage phrases marketers pack into their promotions is that at some level everyone is greedy and lazy. We all give in to greed and lazyness occaisionally. Who wouldn't want easy money? Marketers cash in on our desire for easy money to push us to make an impulse purchase based on emotion.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2853876].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author LovelyCornSyrup
      Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM View Post

      I work harder because I am lazy. The way I see it is I work 7 days a week, 14 hours a day for a few years
      Have you ever tried really, really hard to do something, and then one of your friends tries to do it an gets done on their first try? That happens because when you try to hard you lose the effectiveness of a clear state of mind. There's a big difference between overexerting yourself and hard work. I'm not saying you're not a hard worker, but when all you do is try to do something you wind up thinking whatever you're working is the best and you're entitled to success. Unfortunately, it really doesn't work that way. I had a really bad a habit of working on 16hr binges for weeks in a row, yet I never actually got anywhere because I was so absorbed with MY work. Since it was all about me, me, me I never took a look at what other people were doing.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2853981].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
        Originally Posted by LovelyCornSyrup View Post

        Have you ever tried really, really hard to do something, and then one of your friends tries to do it an gets done on their first try?
        Honestly I cannot think of a situation that this has happened (perhaps its the company I keep )

        That happens because when you try to hard you lose the effectiveness of a clear state of mind. There's a big difference between overexerting yourself and hard work. I'm not saying you're not a hard worker, but when all you do is try to do something you wind up thinking whatever you're working is the best and you're entitled to success. Unfortunately, it really doesn't work that way. I had a really bad a habit of working on 16hr binges for weeks in a row, yet I never actually got anywhere because I was so absorbed with MY work. Since it was all about me, me, me I never took a look at what other people were doing.
        I know exactly what you are saying. I often see people who are working furiously and getting nowhere. Each day I set myself goals for what must be completed and I work my hardest to get them finished. I have a ticklist on my wall and if no ticks are going up I know I need to sort my focus out.

        I am covering a lot of ground. I made a promise to myself I would be financially independant and able to retire by 30 (I am 28 now), so I am trying to cover as much ground as possible to keep to my targets. I have taken some big risks this year and invested a lot of money into a project that could see me good so I need to put this level of work in. I just keep telling myself it wont be for ever lol.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2854098].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author deus ex
    The idea of working smarter not harder goes with impulse purchasing behaviors and overall mindsets of the population. I'd say people are lazy because they just don't know what the real world is like because of the media
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2853889].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Frank Ayres
    Not everyone is Lazy, i work full time 8 hours a day and in my spare time run my IM business and have a 5 year old son as well.

    Every spare moment i have that is not spent with my family or sleeping i am working
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2853891].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author john17
    Originally Posted by LD Carter View Post

    Sooo....the "word smart, not hard" quote is ridiculous? That's nonsense. The fact that people took it the wrong way is what's ridiculous, not the quote itself.
    In total agreement with you.

    I still think the quote should be, "work smart, and hard."
    Signature

    Start your own Video Sharing Website at VideoSharingEmpire.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2853922].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      I see most of the info products coming out are aimed and marketed in a way that pushes people to be lazy and "barely lift a finger."
      Wrong perception on your part. The products aren't pushing the people - the products are giving people what they demand.

      So sales pages say "no experience, no site, no writing, no PPC, no..." and what they don't say is "no chance." No one wants to hear "no chance" - but they do look for fast and easy and talk about 4 hr work weeks as if that's a logical goal for everyone. They buy products that tell them what they want to hear.

      That doesn't mean "people aren't hard workers" - just means you are looking at the wrong group of people. Hard workers aren't in that "easy money" group.

      kay
      Signature
      Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
      ***
      It actually doesn't take much to be considered a 'difficult woman' -
      that's why there are so many of us.
      ...jane goodall
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2853968].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        Wrong perception on your part. The products aren't pushing the people - the products are giving people what they demand.
        Totally agree. The mass market demands turnkey solutions that deliver results without putting in the effort, and that's precisely what marketers put in the market. Whether those turnkey solutions work or not... well, that's a whole different story.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2854000].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author cassie_camay
    no matter how hard you work if you do not understand the outcome then all your work will just be useless. You should think broad and have initial understanding what you are trying to work for. And how's it gonna be when you are done working.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2854003].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author excuzemee
    wok smart not hard

    think instead of doing everything with your back.

    leverage yourself.

    I started working at a young age, to be honest I always tried to keep up to my dad in the family business. Into my teens I was the strongest physically I had ever been in my life. Into my twenties I figured out that I woudl never be able to keep up with my dad.

    I am 37 right now and my body is broken. I think I over worked it. My dad has the same problem as i do, but not to a degree, I have almost 20 years of more working under my belt.

    I saw that quote and the first thing i thought was, another quote: "what would you rather have: 100% of your own efforts or 1% of the efforts of a hundred other people."

    I think you see what you want to see though.

    What is happening to me I didn't think could happen in the 20-21st century. And after looking at the people i have worked beside through the years, I can see why many people are looking for the button pressing method.

    what you are seeing has been handed down through the centuries. The laborers are the lazy ones, it's the thinkers that are carrying the load.

    read some ayn rand.
    Signature

    Ask all the questions you want, but in the end they will all be answered by just doing it!... Get to work!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2854017].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ladida
    Working smart is working hard... when hard work is the smart move.

    When the smart move is strategizing then you strategize.

    When the smart move is outsourcing then...

    It really wouldn't be smart to "not work hard" at your own expense, would it?

    Long live "work smart, not hard"!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2854082].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author john17
    I'm in agreement with nearly all of you. I am probably the biggest fan of working smart. This rant came about because of recent run-ins with workers at restaurants and other places both online and off, where it was very obvious that the workers hated their jobs would do anything to cut the corners.

    Doing your best at any job always makes for a more pleasant experience.

    This definitely is a bigger issue for many of the folks in my generation though.
    Seems my generation has a feeling of entitlement to have a good job and make money and I'm just not sure how this came about.

    Even the "dirtiest" of jobs can be made fun. Thanks for showing me that Mike from TLC
    Signature

    Start your own Video Sharing Website at VideoSharingEmpire.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2854125].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Chris Munch
    In the west we are living off the benefits of the hard work of our ancestors, so we have it a lot easier and in theory don't have to work as hard. Also we've got social security systems that have only arrived recently in history, and have probably gone some way to reduce people's motivation for hard work as there are safety nets, and that has likely become more ingrained as generations have passed.

    Still there are a lot of hard working people around.
    Signature
    I rarely check my PMs here, if you need support, help or have a question please go to our support desk.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2854161].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
      Originally Posted by ChrisTew View Post

      In the west we are living off the benefits of the hard work of our ancestors, so we have it a lot easier and in theory don't have to work as hard. Also we've got social security systems that have only arrived recently in history, and have probably gone some way to reduce people's motivation for hard work as there are safety nets, and that has likely become more ingrained as generations have passed.

      Still there are a lot of hard working people around.
      I was thinking along the same lines.

      Get rid of those "safety nets" (there are several) and bring back debtor's prisons and I bet a lot of people would work MUCH harder.

      I'm not advocating those things, just saying it would change a lot of things.

      All the best,
      Michael
      Signature

      "Ich bin en fuego!"
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2854474].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author AFI
    I was thinking this the other day, how much harder it was to market on the internet when you actually had to build your own site instead of these WordPress blogs that any idiot can use.
    Signature

    Learn about Internet Marketing from my dofollow comment blog.....Make Extra Money At Home...
    I WILL BUILD YOU YOUR OWN CUSTOM AMAZON REVIEW SITE - HUNDREDS SOLD!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2854465].message }}

Trending Topics