Brandon Boynton is a current student at IUPUI and serial entrepreneur. This post is one in a series about the lessons he’s learned as a startup founder.
By Brandon Boynton, CEO, Vemity
6. There is no substitute for hard work.
This is something we hear a lot: Harder work equates greater success. Many scoff at this idea and chalk up other people’s successes to luck and factors out of their control. I believe that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Certainly there are factors beyond our control, but there are far more factors within it.
I truly and absolutely believe that the effort we put into something directly affects what we get out of it. Consider this: If you work 60 hours a week and your peers only work 40, what others will accomplish in three years, you will accomplish in just two.
But working 60-plus hours a week takes sacrifice. You will find that successful people spend many Friday nights working until 3 or 4 a.m. while their friends are out enjoying themselves. They sacrifice the now for the future. The hope is that this sacrifice will unlock an even more enjoyable future in early retirement, material luxuries, a notable legacy or whatever their dreams might be.
We can’t control our intelligence, where we are born or how we were raised. But we can control our dedication, our work ethic and our willingness to work harder to pull ourselves ahead. There is no substitute for that.
Next: Daydreams.
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