Years ago my roommate asked me how I managed to get up every morning and go to work. Even at 19 I found it to be an odd question. From an early age I suppose I’ve always had ingrained in me this attitude of working hard to get the most of out of life (thanks mom and dad). It’s part taking pride in the work you do, and giving it your all once you’ve made the commitment. I think it’s called “Work Ethic” and it’s weird to me that there are some people out there that just don’t care about it. Their goal is to find a job where they can do the least amount of work possible for the most amount of money. Don’t get me wrong, there is some merit to maximizing your efforts or building residual income, but in this sense it’s more of, “where can I find a job that I can literally do nothing at and get paid for it” IE sit at a desk surfing the internet for money.
People sometimes say to me, “opportunity just knocks on your door” or “it’s really easy for you to find work”. I’m just going to throw this out there, but I am NO different from you! It’s all about how we choose to spend our time and energy. It’s not that things come easy to me, I just choose to focus on being aware of when there is a need that I can help fulfill; then showing up and giving it 100% once I’ve made the commitment. The only other factor is not being afraid of the unknown and allowing myself to say “Yes, I can do that” even if I don’t know all the ins and outs at the time. If you believe in yourself and know the basics then you can learn the rest, and being willing to constantly learn is the key.
I love learning new things! I love learning about how things work, what gets the best results, how to fix things, improve things, basically anything and everything that I can consume to help not be just a better “skilled person” but that can also offer personal growth and challenges. I’m an education nut that’s never had “formal” training, and let me tell you, that has never really held me back in a way I haven’t been able to overcome. I guess what really intrigues me about learning new things is that it allows me to use my own critical thinking skills to discover ways that I can improve different systems, processes and ways of getting things done. Making things work better and seeing the results is fun… to me at least.
When it comes down to it, that’s how I manage to get up every morning and go to work. Every day isn’t amazing and incredible, but it’s knowing that there are new challenges that will push me, that will grow me as a person. I’m a white collar technology jack of all trades and not afraid of being a blue collar one if my life requires it. It’s about taking the bull by the horns, and just doing it. Don’t question your ability to do something, no matter how big or small the project, there is nothing you can’t learn or be taught you just have to be willing.
And for those entrepreneurs out there that are like me, here’s a sound piece of advice that has helped me on countless occasions: “Do what you do best and outsource the rest!”
Keep smiling 🙂
– Shane Lamotte
[Jack of All Trades image by Matthew Stumphy at http://www.gurustump.com]
Shane Lamotte 