Chapter 58 Labour Now, Luxury Later.
In 1976, my diligent and thrifty mother-in-law bought a piece of land for M$9,000 and sold it 9 years later for M$250,000! Land values have soared in Asia in recent years. I have an ironclad conviction: If youngsters would work hard and invest their money every year before they are 35, they could have feastful and fun-filled lives later, pampered with luxuries that are compounded many times. They have started the multiplication of wealth at an earlier date. If they had been lazy and spendthrift instead, little would await them, except more drudgery for the rest of their lives.
Prosperity is the fruit of our endeavours, and our ability to sacrifice now for what we want eventually. Let us have efforts now and enjoyment later. A Chinese proverb says: ‘Toil now, then luxury forever.’ Sir William Osler agreed: „The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work superbly well. Dr M. Scott Peck in his best-selling book The Road Less Travelled, proposed brilliantly „a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to enhance the pleasure by meeting and experiencing the pain first and getting it over with. This means self- denial and sacrifice, working and investing to double your wealth.
Work is noble. God wills that we love and labour, yet many think they are living when they are doing neither. A person is truly poor, not when he has nothing, but when he does nothing. Thomas Carlyle wrote, „Even in the meanest sorts of labour, the whole soul of a man is composed into a kind of real harmony the instant he sets himself to work. Your performance is your trade mark; on the other hand, laziness and sloppiness invite poverty. Arthur Brisbane asserted: „You are an ant in the human anthill. Be a working ant, not a ridiculous insect pitying itself. When A. Schwarzenegger was asked the reason for his great success he replied: „Hard work, hard work, lots of discipline and positive thinking.
The secret of sweet success is sweat. Successful people take the trouble to do things which failures do not like to. Their strength of desire and purpose simply overrides feeling of dislike and discomfort. The road to success goes uphill, otherwise everyone would be there in no time! Isnt it nice to be given the chance and choice? It is only in the dictionary that success comes before work. The law of cause and effect warns us: no pain, no gain. Rewards may come in various forms, but always in proportion to your efforts. Many penniless refugees and immigrants laboured despite their setbacks in new lands, and later became successful bankers (Carlos Arboleya of Miami), pop stars (Gloria Estefan), entrepreneurs (Iacocca of Chrysler) and tycoons (Li Ka-Shing of Hong Kong).
The renowned Picasso, for example, produced so many paintings that he burned many of them to keep warm! Another great painter Michelangelo said, „If people knew how hard I worked to acquire this talent, they would no longer be surprised. Inventor Edison admitted, „I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work. Look at the fame and adoration these people have earned. Helen G. Brown said, „Hard work and discipline will get you everywhere. The poet Longfellow left us a beautiful reminder: „The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.
Labour brings vitality, fulfilment and prosperity. Vauvenargues the French writer asserted, „The fruit derived from labour is the sweetest of all pleasures. Spielberg, who brought us great movies, often worked 14-hour days. He is like the many rich and famous who love their work, and have the constant desire to create and face new challenges. For them, work is play, and they remain young and enthusiastic through the years. Physical and intellectual growth and fulfilment come from purpose, and enterprise. Emerson proclaimed, „A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best. Bernard Brochard said, „With will-power, ideas, and a willingness to work two hours longer than others, it is not difficult to make money.
Work weaves a fruitful and fortunate future. Even simple animals know the benefit of delayed gratification. The squirrel stores up nuts for the winter. A mole digs a tunnel 250 feet long in one night, and look at the spiders, ants and bees! Progress now, otherwise you will look back one day and see the many opportunities you have missed, and things you never got around to do. Your accomplishment will be the result of your expended and extended efforts. My tenet remains: If you work hard and invest in the first half of your life, you will not have to work very hard in the next half. Besides, you will have reached that „half- way house or platform sooner, for that powerful take-off. You will then snowball along, as nothing succeeds like success.
Work is good for you. Happiness lives in an enterprising mind and walks on busy feet. Medical experts maintain that those who work heartily have no stress or worry. Whenever you are unhappy or worried, try some gardening, flowercutting and home beautification, and feel the difference! Exertion is a good psychic cure; it never killed anybody, only fear, depression and early retirement do! George Bernard Shaw said, „I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. David Grayson said, „Happiness, I have always discovered, is nearly always a rebound from hard work.
Work for the love of it, not for the love of money. Put work into your heart, and heart into your work. Just concentrate on enjoying and doing a good job, and money will follow. Use your heads, but put in your hearts and souls too. Do not deny your enjoyment, or stifle your feelings and dreams. Charles Schwab asserted: „The man who does not work for the love of work, but only for money is neither likely to make money nor to find much fun in life. Work is not just a bread-earner, it is an expression of unique tastes, skills, talents and passion! Do it in the spirit of a master craftsman or artist; pride takes out the drabs and drudgery. Work is easy when you plunge into it, even easier when you love it. After you have started on something, it is not that insurmountable, and soon the pile of things that seemed overwhelming during your procrastination is behind you, finished!
Sheer diligence is not enough; you must plan, organise and keep improving for peak performance. Quality is just as important as quantity. Working smart is better than working hard; filling time isnt using time; being busy is different from being productive. Use moments of serenity to sharpen your saw, to draw inspiration and power from within. A life is the result of the work put into it, just as every home is a reflection of the people living there. God helps those who help themselves, so earn and invest now for a better future. You will reap what you sow. Work hard; all work and no play may make Jack a dull boy, but he is richer than you are!