There Is No Excuse for Laziness

by Nadia on April 24, 2009 posted in Life

When I was a kid, there was only one way my parents would let me stay home from school and that was if I had a fever. I could have lost an arm while doing something or poked out my eye, but if I had no fever, I still had to go to school. As for the fever requirements, it had to be in the five digits, meaning 100.00 and above (for those who use a Celsius thermometer that equals to 37.77 and above).

Most of my friends could stay home due to a stomach ache or a mild fever but not me….I had to be dying in order to stay home. By the way, my mom was a nurse and my dad is a doctor so apparently this was sound medical advice. My parents used to say that they were teaching me how to have a good work ethic. I didn’t see the connection until last week.

I was meeting one of my close friends for our usual monthly get together, when we began to talk about how things are different now than when we were kids. Now keep in mind, my friend and I are in our thirties but for some reason we were talking as if we were a bunch of old folks in a nursing home complaining about the youth of today. My contribution to the conversation was that many young people today have no work ethic.

I told my friend about how I was on the train earlier that same day and sat behind a young man who was complaining to his friend about his life. He went on for twenty minutes about how his passion in life is to make movies but he will not pursue it because he has no clue if he can make enough money and he does not want to waste time because probably it will take years to make it big. He then admitted to thinking about becoming an accountant because he thought he can easily make six figures within one year. His friend agreed because as he put it: “I have no desire to work long hours and not make much money. Accounting is good because you can make tons of money and only work like 30 hours”. The first thing that came to my mind when I heard all of this was: “Are you serious?!”

After hearing this, my friend shared her frustrations. We both went on about the importance of having a work ethic and that many people these days don’t realize that when things seem to happen immediately (for example; someone “making it big” in the movies), it is only because a lot of effort, determination and time has gone into it…it wasn’t due to some arbitraty or miraculous event. Someone once told me that you know whether someone is an expert or not in their given field by how easy they make it look. The easier it looks, the more hours went into it. As we came to the end of the discussion, I said that there was no excuse for laziness. I realized that I have heard this line before and then it hit me…I sounded exactly like my father and all of a sudden I was having a flashback of being ten years old and watching the television show Fame.

For those who do not recall the beginning of that show, there was a point where the dance teacher (played by Debbie Allen) told her dance students: “if you want fame, fame costs and here’s how you start paying for it…in sweat.” Every time we watched that show, my dad would proudly proclaim how right she was because in order to succeed you have to work hard. He would then say how young kids have no work ethic and he would go on and on about how bad it is to be lazy. His exact words were: “there is no excuse for laziness”.

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{ 29 comments }

Jay Schryer April 24, 2009 at 8:05 am

Hi Nadia,
I had a friend who recently accused me of being lazy. I was complaining about my job, and how I felt so unmotivated, and I really just wanted a change. She told me that my problem was that I’m lazy, that I just don’t like work. Well, that’s partially true, but not really.

You see, when I am engaged in something that I love to do (such as blogging or writing), I don’t mind hard work at all. I also don’t mind it if it’s something physical that I can do outside, like when I go home and work on my dad’s farm. These are things that I love to do, and so I don’t mind putting in long and hard hours.

But when I have drudgery, or “busy work”, or work that has no real value, and I’m only doing it because I have to do it, then yeah, I can be pretty lazy. I know that work isn’t fun all the time (that’s why they call it “work”, right?), but as long as I can minimize the “have to do” stuff, and maximize the “want to do” stuff, then I don’t mind it so much, and I enjoy working.

My point is that people who are passionate about what they do, and enjoy what they do, don’t act lazy. If you put those same people in a job they hate, they might seem incredibly lazy. Likewise, a lazy person might become incredibly motivated if they could find work they love.

Jay Schryer’s most recent blog post..Dear Daughter

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 9:48 am: Hi Jay,

Your comment brings up a really great point which is that so many people are not happy with their jobs. Isn’t it amazing how universal that feeling is? You are right, that laziness could be because someone is not loving their job or whatever task is in front of them. However, what is sad to me, is that so many of us are unhappy with our jobs.

Roger - A Content Life April 24, 2009 at 8:34 am

Nadia,

I truly enjoyed this post!

When I’m doing work that I love, it doesn’t feel like work and I work crazy hard. Work is play and play is work!

If I hate the work, I find lots of ways to avoid doing it. I know that makes me lazy, but it’s a problem I’ve always had. Maybe I’m being lazy by not trying to solve it.

Roger – A Content Life’s most recent blog post..Staying Open-Minded With Others

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 9:51 am: Hi Roger,

I think there are certain things that none of like to do…like filling out our taxes or paying bills. Getting checks is a very happy experience but writing them is not so fun. Hopefully we all can have more moments when we love what we are doing, that the effort is fun and not work. Actually, that is my wish for everyone. To be so happy in their lives, that they feel like they are having fun. However, I do not think filling out taxes will ever be fun.

Palabuzz April 24, 2009 at 9:37 am

Some people are accusing me of being lazy just because they think that I am not working. When the truth is I am working from my home through the internet.

Palabuzz’s most recent blog post..Marian Rivera as the new Darna

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 9:53 am: Hi Palabuzz,

Welcome to Happy Lotus! Good for you for being able to work from home! You are right, people think working from home means you cannot accomplish much but actually, the opposite is true. I have found I end doing more when I can work from home. So yay for you!

Matthew | Polaris Rising April 24, 2009 at 10:26 am

I honestly don’t know about this one – there’s two sides. It’s good not to have an entitlement complex based on greed and an inner feeling of emptiness. However, this society forces people to work far longer hours than it needs to. We’ve built up a semi-slave society, where good time is sacrificed for economy and wealth.

So the positive side of laziness is valuing doing nothing. Valuing quality time. Valuing efficiency – the efficiency that’s about doing what needs to be done so you can get to other more important things like community. There’s no substitute for spare time. That’s what meditation is – creating a space of time where nothing happens. In some ways, that’s laziness too. And it’s a good thing.

Matthew | Polaris Rising’s most recent blog post..The story of the cat who did things differently

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 3:43 pm: Hi Matthew,

Your comment is really interesting because your interpretation of my post ws far different than my intention. However, you do raise some interesting points. You are right that in our society we are forced to work longer hours than we need to. I was discussing this with a friend of mine today and I was saying that the majority of us are slaves to our jobs because the cost of living here is really higher than it needs to be.

I think the idea of taking time for ourselves should not be called laziness because it isn’t. Lazy, in my mind, means wanting something without doing nothing.

kirwin April 24, 2009 at 10:28 am

I particularly liked this part:

“…that you know whether someone is an expert or not in their given field by how easy they make it look. The easier it looks, the more hours went into it. ”

I’ve never thought about it that way, but it’s so true!

kirwin’s most recent blog post..Technical Difficulties

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 3:46 pm: Hi Kirwin,

I never realized that too until I met this one person who was an expert in his field and he made it look so easy. So I asked him what his schedule was like and when he told me how much he did, I was amazed. Making something look simple is an art form.

In my mind the best example of this are women who are mothers because that is such a tough job which many people do not appreciate because there is no salary.

Shannon (The Daily Balance) April 24, 2009 at 10:33 am

great post!

I find that many people in the younger generation (I’m allowed to say this because I’m 24 and technically part of it!) feel entitled and don’t seem to fully understand the concept of ‘putting in your dues.’ It’s amazing to me how many poeple think things will be handed to them with little to no work on their part.
I also agree with the points that Jay rasied.

Thanks for sharing your insights!

Shannon (The Daily Balance)’s most recent blog post..Fashion Friday – Classy Comfy

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 3:51 pm: Hi Shannon,

Thank so much for your input. I liked how you used the phrase “paying your dues”. That is perfect because that is what we all have to do regardless of the field. We gain wisdom by paying our dues and anything worthwhile has to be earned. Otherwise, we won’t appreciate it as much.

Positively Present April 24, 2009 at 10:53 am

There is nothing that can replace hard work. With all of the instant gratification we have in society today, we all want to have things right away, but that’s not how it works. This was a great post for me today because I’ve been hearing a lot of feedback about my blog and how I really need to work on developing my writing career. As much as I love the compliments, I haven’t really DONE anything about it. I’ve been lazy and the only person that’s really hurting is me. Thanks for making me get up and take action because, as you said, there is NO excuse for laziness!

http://positivelypresent.typepad.com

Positively Present’s most recent blog post..wisdom from wonderland

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 3:52 pm: Hi P.P.!

You are welcome. BTW, if you love writing (which I think you do), it isn’t hard work but fun. So go have fun!

Lisis | Quest For Balance April 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm

Like Matthew, I’m kind of split on this one. You have the issue Jay mentioned: that sometimes we are so unfulfilled by our work that we seem lazy about it. Then there’s also what Matthew mentioned: the beauty of doing nothing on a regular basis. I’m not sure that a crazy work ethic (like our parents had) is always such a great thing. We need time to just be.

I don’t think the next generation should feel entitled to getting without giving, but I can see why they are not so willing to devote 100% of themselves to career when they are watching the older folks (us) be miserable, unfulfilled, or out on the streets because the economy dried up. Maybe they are just more aware that there has to be MORE to life than work? Maybe they want to find the most efficient and least time consuming path to providing for their basic needs so they can spend the extra time and energy out having fun?

So it’s a fine line between being so lazy you want to do nothing, and so enlightened you aspire to do LESS.

Lisis | Quest For Balance’s most recent blog post..Fellowship Fridays: Be True to Yourself, and to Others

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 3:57 pm: Hi Lisis,

Your comment raises a couple of issues. I think maybe why the older generations had a crazy work ethic is because the cost of things required them to work such long hours. The cost of living here is really high and the salaries of most people are not equal to the cost of living. So the people who are unfulfilled or out on the streets are that way because of how messed up things became. Economic freedom is awesome and essential but greed is a whole other story.

We are taught to make a living and not to live. Hence, people take jobs that they do not love because they need the paycheck. Having time to just be is not laziness in my mind. Laziness, in my mind, means wanting something without doing anything.

Darla - ShareYoga.com April 24, 2009 at 1:40 pm

I had to hire a group of interns at my last job. Some were still in college at UCLA and some were just graduating. Out of the ten, there was one gal and one guy who had an excellent work ethic and communication skills. There were others who had a good work ethic but not the communication skills. There were others who could communicate and take direction, but didn’t want to work for it. They were all bright people though. They just needed a lot of mentoring.

Most college students today don’t graduate ready or willing to take on assistant or intern level positions – they think they should be making 80k to start. One guy in particular was quite fond of himself and spent the time at work promoting himself — showing us music videos he had filmed of himself. He seemed completely unaware that he was there to work his way up — in his mind, we were lucky to have him.

I think the recession will force them to reset their expectations, as it has for many of us.

Darla – ShareYoga.com’s most recent blog post..You Can Live Your Dream Life

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 4:00 pm: Hi Darla,

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. It totally illustrates the point that I was trying to make.

And I agree with you about how the recession will force many to reset their expectations. Life works in interesting ways!

Hilda April 24, 2009 at 3:56 pm

I totally relate to Jay and Roger. When I’m doing something I’m really into I’ll happily put hours and hours into it and not even consider it work. But when it’s something that really does feel like work I find it hard to apply myself. Marcus Buckingham has written an excellent book that deals with this: Go put your strengths to work.

His argument is that being good at what you do isn’t enough, you have to enjoy what you’re good at as well. When you do those jobs they strengthen you. When you do stuff you don’t enjoy it actually weakens you because it drains your energy, even if it’s something that you’re very good at. To be happy at work you need to spend more time doing things that strengthen you and minimise time on tasks that weaken you. And when you’re happy at work you’ll be productive – not lazy

Positively Present – you’re posting on your blog EVERY day. Personally I’m very impressed with that, and think you’re very far from lazy.

Thanks for the clip of Fame Nadia, really enjoyed it! I was such a fan. I know that Leroy was the hot one, but I always fancied Danny!

Hilda’s most recent blog post..Spring has sprung: time to declutter!

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 4:02 pm: Hi Hilda,

I agree with what Marcus Buckingham said about work. That is so true about how when you do a job that you do not like, it drains your energy. I have had that experience many times in the past with previous jobs. It is amazing how some things can just sap away your energy. Thank you so much for bringing up this point because it is so important.

BTW, I used to have a crush on Danny too…glad I was not alone!

David Cain April 24, 2009 at 10:06 pm

Great post Nadia.

I see work differently than I used to.

Now, I realize that the only thing ‘hard’ about any work is how I approach it. What the work is doesn’t matter. If I stay present, and avoid indulging in resentful or wishful thoughts, it’s perfectly easy.

I try and use each day of work as an opportunity to get better at something; at patience, at dealing with people, at technical skills. That way I can actually look forward to it. Even though I don’t want to always do what I’m currently doing, I know that to think of my work as an obstacle is a trap that sucks away my energy and my quality of life.

Sure, most people do not work in jobs they love. But you can bring love to it, and make it a whole lot easier on yourself.

Now, I try not to use the term ‘hard work’, because it implies it’s not something I want to do. There is no gun to my head; I could quit my job, but at this point I’m better served not to. It’s the same for anyone. Since I choose to work, I choose to work with enthusiasm and intention.

David Cain’s most recent blog post..7 Profound Insights From the Beatles

Nadia April 24, 2009 at 10:11 pm: Hi David,

I agree with your approach because each one of us has the power to choose how we want to handle a situation and the intention with which we do things. It truly does boil down to a matter of perspective which I think is the case with anything in life.

I am happy that you have discovered all of this because many do not. Whenever I talk about my job to other people, I always like to use the word “service” instead because that is what I feel that I do and it sounds much more positive. The word “work” sounds so negative, at least that is my opinion.

Jonathan EnlightenYourDay.com April 25, 2009 at 3:13 pm

Cute Post, I enjoyed this little bit about your parents making you pass or fail the Thermometer tests.

Thanks for sharing

Cheers

Jonathan EnlightenYourDay.com’s most recent blog post..61 Spirituality Quotes for the Soul to Ponder

Nadia April 25, 2009 at 3:21 pm: Hi Jonathan,

You are welcome and you are the only one you commented on that section (which was intended to make people laugh)!

Andrej Fajgelj April 25, 2009 at 7:58 pm

Hi, great story. I am leading a NGO in Serbia (http://radnaetika.org), where this problem is even more serious, mainly because of the communist background. But in the end no background can neither prevent nor force people to make their own choices. There are lasy people in hard working societies/families/generations… and the other way around.

Andrej Fajgelj’s most recent blog post..?????? ?? ???????? ???? ?????? ???…

Nadia April 25, 2009 at 10:16 pm: Hi Andrej!

Welcome to Happy Lotus! Thank you for sharing your experiences. I can imagine that a transition from a communist background to a more free society would be hard. You are right, regardless of background, do have the freedom to choose how to live.

geos April 26, 2009 at 5:31 am