Readers: Nobody has written more guest articles for my blog than my good friend, the inimitable Mr. Credit Card. Today Mr. CC is going to entertain us with another of his always thought-provoking ideas. By the way, Mr. Credit Card has just updated his business charge card recommendations for 2011, so please be sure to check them out if youāre looking for one.
by Mr. Credit Card
Those of you who follow my Ask Mr. Credit Card blog know that I was recently on travel, visiting California. One of the highlights of my trip was being kingly invited to Lenās place for a nice burger grill.
I always buy a new book before I fly to the West Coast and, on this particular trip, I bought Andre Agassiās autobiography. It was a most fascinating read for me because he told the story of his childhood and how he became a top tennis player.
The real shocker though was at the beginning of the book, when he claimed he actually hated tennis. What?! I could not believe it when I read those words!
It turns out that Andreās father was a tennis nut, and he was determined to train his young son to be the worldās number one player.
Andre describes his training when he was seven years old. His father created a tennis machine that would hit a ball close to Andreās feet. During endless hours of practice his dad would constantly stand behind him and yell at him. āHit the ball early,ā and āharderā were common phrases. I guess it should be no surprise that Andre ended up becoming one of the best hitters of the ball on the rise ā and a pretty hard hitter too.
When Andre was fourteen, his father decided to send him ā against Andreās will ā to the Nick Bolletieri tennis school in Florida. At first the plan was to go for only three months. Then, the folks at the school determined that he was the best talent they had ever seen, and three months eventually became āforever.ā
Andre was so good that he was able to negotiate a deal that allowed him to skip school. He eventually turned professional before he was twenty. He also went on to become one of the best tennis players of all time, and one of only a few players to ever win all four grand slam titles.
As a professional, Andre was never satisfied if he lost. He maintained a coach. He even hired a fitness trainer who imposed a ruthless fitness regimen that he faithfully stuck to throughout his long career, training for many hours every day.
How to Excel at a Job You Hate
So why I am telling you all of this? Though extreme, I think Andreās story is a clear example that you can excel at something even though you do not like it, assuming you are willing to put in the effort to be good at it.
And even though Andre did not like tennis, he still put in hours of work to be good at his chosen profession. Andre not only earned lots of prize money, but also in endorsement deals with Nike and American Express.
I can think of numerous people I know who dislike their jobs and yet stick to it and earn great financial rewards. I know many folks who work for investment banks and disliked their jobs, but they stuck with it and became good at it because it paid well. I guess there was some motivation there.
You may say that Iām using examples where the financial payoffs are great for those who rise to the top, but I would counter by saying that there are great rewards in any profession when you rise to the top.
And here is the thing that sometimes gets to me: I read lots of blogs (especially lifestyle blogs) and, to me, there are too many instances where you read about folks being āunhappyā with their jobs; everybody wants to make āpassive incomeā and work only a few hours a week. While that is a worthy aim, I think before one starts to focus their attention to entrepreneurship, one should try to focus on being the best they can be in their jobs.
Figure out what it takes to succeed in your industry and profession. You may find that it will bring great financial rewards and you may be happier as a result. And trying to be the best you can be is a trait that is necessary if you ever want to be successful at your own business.
The Bottom Line
Len is always talking about sound money principals. Spend less than you earn, yes! Save, yes! But another important part of the equation is increasing your income. Making more money is a very important part of our personal finances but, too often, the āmaking more moneyā part tends to focus on ways to acquire passive income or, even worse, making money by blogging or via network marketing.
I urge you to refocus your attention on your present occupation (whether you like it or not) because I suspect we all can put a little more effort in getting ahead in what we currently do, and reap the resulting financial rewards. Even if we donāt like what weāre doing.
Editorās Note: Mr. Credit Card told me those were the best burgers and hot dogs he had ever eaten! Okay, not really. But he did have multiple helpings.
Photo Credit: loneymops
I love this article. Wow..I had no idea you could be the best in the world at something you hated doing. Big lesson there.
Iām personally of the opinion that all jobs have their ups and downs. Celebrities make a ton of money, but they also lose their privacy and stuff gets made up about them. Thatās gotta stink..but you know what the good outweighs the bad.
I always picture my job on one of those balance scales. You put the good on one side and the bad on the other and as long as thereās more good than bad, then thereās nothing to complain about.
Without reading Agassiās book, I believe there is a measure of satisfaction in mastering something very hard and unpleasant. There has to be a pay off for him. I suspect most of us have a low āunpleasantness threshholdā and try to get as much pleasure through the least amount of sweat and blood.
When you study anyone who accomplished something big, itās rarely because of some chance coalition of circumstances, āGive the kid a break the shows half dance anywayā, but as a result of dogged, singular efforts. Einstein had his address pinned into his clothes so it wouldnāt clutter his mind, and considered hair combing and socks a waste of time.
Thanks Mr. CC. Something to think about.
Putting extra effort in on something you hate doing is way easier said than done. Why would I want to waste my life doing something I hate, even if I could make more money at it by putting in the extra effort? Itās an over used cliche but life really is too short.
I think a better recommendation would be find your passion and then figure out a way to exploit it in order to make money. When you truly love something, you will put the time necessary to eventually become successful.
Excellent response Jill and a nice break from the authors usual diatribe.
I enjoyed the article and agree with Mr. Credit Card but I really wanted to say that I just love the photo! š
Len ā Those burgers were good. Maybe weāll have a burger shoot out the next time we meet!
Jill ā off course it is easier said than done. In Agassiās case, he was āforcedā to train when he was young. He had no choice. He did not rebel against his father though he showed his rebellion in other ways. I bet many folks whose parents pushed them hard to study and they got into great colleges. They ended up in big fortune 500 firms (wall street, tech firms), and made lots of money. Many did not like their jobs at all.
But sometimes, you may have a gift in something you do not like doing. So maybe the way around it is to appreciate the gifts you have been given.
You got it, Mr. CC! You bring the potato salad and Iāll bring dessert!
Wow, Andre Agassi should be a poster boy for āhard workerā: putting in those hours for something you hate! Thankfully, I donāt hate what I do. It would be really hard to inspire small minds if I didnāt like what I did.
That being said, I suppose in professions where you can earn top dollar (teaching is not one of them!) maybe itās worth it to stick it out no matter how much you hate your job. š
Little House ā you are right, in a profession that pays a lot, the āmotivation for moneyā comes easier.
Teaching ā Iām sure most teachers love teaching cos I donāt know how Iāll survive one day with 30 kids! I have 3, and I canāt cope when they get back from school in the afternoon! But Iām sure for many teachers, their pension is something that motivates them as well (once in a while anyway when the kids are out of your mind!)
Do Not Wait ā ādid not like tennis that muchā is an understatement. Get the book and read it, it is really fascinating.
What a great story. A lot of times, especially with generation X and younger, people think they HAVE to love what they do to be successful. While that is optimal, life doesnāt always serve us up optimal circumstances and being able to thrive in any environment is an old school character trait that many of us lack today. Good stuff Nick.
It is extremely difficult to get good at something you hate. Andre Agassi hated tennis when he first started, but he had talent. Once he got really good, Iām sure he does not hate it anymore.
If you really hate your job, you probably are not giving your all.
I agree with you. There is no way most people can put everything they have into a job they truly donāt enjoy. Entrepreneurs who do what they love are able to work 16 hour days ā usually for peanuts when just starting out too ā because they are extremely passionate about what they do.
Interesting! I didnt realize any of that about Agassi, I think Ill go and get the book! I wouldnt say I hate what I do, but I certainly didnt choose the most desirable pathā¦its a great paying job with great people, but it can be a bit tedious at times. I was always interested in journalism but I was more concerned with job opporunity and money.
Nice article. I didnāt know Andre Agassi did not like tennis THAT much. I knew it was not his choice at first, but still! As for the passive income, it can become true IF and only IF you put in the efforts. So yes, trying to put the effort into something you donāt like can be a good training! And there is always something to like about a job, even though you end up changing after a while. There is for sure something you will miss! Let it only be the coffee you were used to have before leaving!
Thatās very interesting to see that Andre hated tennis. Iām with Jill, though, I donāt see the point in spending most of your life miserable because you hate your job. Most of us wonāt become a sports prodigy or something similar where the millions of dollars and the fame might make up for it.
Personally, I was not cut out to be an employee, at least a government employee. I was the best I could be as a social worker, and not only did it not bring an adequate salary, my efforts frequently brought me negative attention. Many coworkers and even bosses tried to get me fired because my hard work and skill was seen as threatening. My husband encouraged me to be an entrepreneur because he said, āNo employer will value you anywhere near what youāre worth.ā
Wow, I read your āask mr ccā blog as well as this one and I have rarely heard such shallow ridiculous advice from someone. As a counselor myself, I believe yor blogs to promote gluttony, perservering in a job you hate and dangerous internal happiness practices. Your mindset is what is wrong with the egoās āMore at all costsā system. As a side note, your numerous spelling errors on your other blog have me thinking āwhat kind of people would follow this lazy man? He cannot even take the time to spell check his grammar correctly.ā He will say he is too busy Iām sure.
I will be sure to mention you in my blog and point to your writings in my practice as to what NOT to ever do to find happiness (which equates to staying in a job you hate and promoting the concept of āmoreā more and still more).
Also I speak to my clients daily about people giving a damn only about money, or making it FAR too important (of which you are one) and I know we will all be interested to read the responses from your regular readers such as in the āAmerican express centurion cardā article (also loaded with juvenile spelling errors). Wow, these people are lostā¦thank God they seem such a small minority.
Please consider getting some internal assistance. And stop extrapolating Andreā Agissiās feelings on this matter. Having also fead this book he insinuates nothing about feeling wonderful he continued to do what he hated.
PS- I see āfeadā needs to be āreadā but it cannot be changed. So whatās YOUR excuse on YOUR blog?