title: Work! description: [AFW M.1.18] Michael's Epiphanies #18 published: true date: 2026-06-30T08:08:16.878Z tags: editor: markdown dateCreated: 2021-04-23T21:51:01.901Z

Work Ethic¶

Watch Work! Overview (2022-12) VIDEO

“If someone watched you for a week, would that person believe you're serious about your goals?"

“Time spent has nothing to do with job done.” ―Naval Ravikant

“I don't believe people die from hard work. They die from stress and worry and fear ― the negative emotions. Those are the killers, not hard work. The fact is, in our society today, most people don't understand what hard work is all about.” ―Art Williams

“The purpose of knowledge is action, not knowledge.” ―Aristotle

“Action is the foundational key to all success.” ―Pablo Picasso

"Never mistake acheivement for activity" -John Wooden

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. ” -Peter Drucker

“What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” -Stephen King

“Just do it.” -Art Williams

“Your success doesn't depend on anybody else but you.” ―Art Williams

“One characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. And it wasn't social intelligence. It wasn't good looks, physical health, and it wasn't IQ. It was grit.” -Angela Duckworth

“All chronic production issues are behavior issues.” -Aaron Hemsley

“The sure sign of an amateur is he has a million plans and they all start tomorrow.” ―Steven Pressfield

“Emotions don't win for you. the only thing that matters is actions. Its not the best fighter that wins, its the fighter that fights best that wins. So many times we try to find the right emotion. What emotion is going to help you? This is what helps you (holds up fists). Forward motion, getting your legs back, getting up off the bottom, working the whole time. Those are actions. Not one of those was an emotion. Anger, happiness, sad, fear, scared. Not one of those is going to get a judge to mark your name. This (holds up fists) is what marks your name... actions.” -Chael Patrick Sonnen

“The sure sign of an amateur is he has a million plans and they all start tomorrow.” ―Steven Pressfield

“We don't have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest.” ―Warren Buffett

Read Nick's book review The Ultimate Aid To Client Acquisition PDF

Read Robert Greene's TDL 03-18 - The Power of Desire and Determination PDF

Read Robert Greene's TDL 03-27 - The Power of Peak Experiences PDF

Read Robert Greene's TDL 04-25 - Enter Action with Boldness PDF

Read Steve Siebold's Secrets of the World Class 039 - The Great Ones Choose Discipline Over Pleasure PDF

Read Steve Siebold's Secrets of the World Class #139 - World Class Work Ethic PDF

Watch Elon Musk - Work twice as hard as others VIDEO

• For an idea of the starting point of your "work ethic" see the $50k-Income Game-Plan.
• Action begets results. Knowledge or emotions do not beget results; at least not directly. However, knowing that you know "your stuff" can help you take action because your confidence increases. Remember, a competent advisor is a confident advisor; and a confident advisor is a productive advisor.
• Intelligence and experience are not the most important - hard work is. An attitude of discipline and fearlessness to roll up your sleeves and drive on nitty-gritty detail is what counts. The greatest talent is useless if the discipline to use it is lacking.

Grit¶

Watch Angela Lee Duckworth - Grit - The power of passion and perseverance Ted Talk. Short version (6 minutes). VIDEO

Watch Angela Duckworth - Grit - The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Talks at Google VIDEO

Watch Angela Duckworth addresses students at the 2017 Aspen Challenge Philadelphia VIDEO

Grit by Angela Duckworth BOOK In this must-read book for anyone striving to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents, educators, students, and business people both seasoned and new that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a focused persistence called grit.

The Three Most Important Types of Work¶

Review the $50k-Income Game-Plan to see what "work" really means.

1. Prospecting: Make two to four prospecting attempts per day, 5 days per week, 50 weeks per year, until you've made 1,000 attempts.

2. Appointments: Conduct two to four new 1^st Visit Client Conversations per week.

3. Producing Revenue (closing sales): Generate $2,500 in revenue per week.

Law of Large Numbers¶

“It doesn’t matter what you say, but how many people you say it to.” -Nick Murray

The law of large numbers, in probability and statistics, states that as a sample size grows, its mean gets closer to the average of the whole.

The book The Game of Numbers by Nick Murray does a great job of applying the Law of Large Numbers to prospecting. BOOK

Read the article The Game of Numbers by Steven Pressfield where he discusses Nick's book GON. ARTICLE

Discipline = Consistency¶

If you're trying to build a new habit, focus on consistency rather than intensity (make 1 - 4 prospecting attempts each day instead making 200 cold calls once every six months). Start by doing a little each day without setting strict rules or expectations. Often, people try to do too much too soon and then struggle to keep it up - and then sometimes just give up entirely.