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We’re told from a young age that hard work pays off. This statement encompasses so many different aspects of emotion and begs the questions; how is hard work judged, what does the phrase “pay off” really mean and who or what is going hold us accountable for working hard?

In grade school we had our names listed on a board with stop light colors next to them. Green meant you had turned in your assignments, behaved and could go to recess. Red meant you didn’t and were staying inside. A stoplight held us accountable for working hard. No one wanted to be the kid with the red light that had to sit with their head down at their desk while everyone else went outside to do penny drops off the monkey bars.

In high school and college hard work was rewarded with letters.  An A meant you worked hard, a D meant you didn’t. A simple piece of paper with letters on it that was given out twice a year, this piece of paper held us accountable for working hard.  No one wanted to be the kid that was left behind, no one wanted to take a piece of paper home with five D’s on it, everyone wanted to write their dream college on the map in the guidance office before graduating.

Flash forward to after college graduation, where until now our whole lives hard work had been rewarded with colors and letters, a simplistic reality at its finest. Here we are in the work force, fresh faced, idealistic, dreaming big dreams of a big life that still seems foreign to us. Except now there are no stoplights, or pieces of papers with simple letters. The only thing holding us accountable for hard work is us.

Judgment is no longer simple- no green, no red, no A, no F. Judgment is messy. It’s from bosses and co-workers, clients and friends. Not working hard now means losing jobs, income and livelihood, not just recess.

We often times find ourselves wondering what is the payoff? I’ve spent a lot of time thinking of hard work. I’ve learned over time and with experience that working hard is a daily task, a decision that one makes minutely and hourly. Hard work is a chain reaction the pay offs come in small victories that when strung together create success.

There is no magic formula for hard work, it’s not a step that can be falsified or skipped.  What I’ve learned is to work hard in everything you do, at the end of every day ask yourself if there was anything else you could have done. If there is, learn from it and do it better the next day, if not be satisfied.

Learn to work hard, ask yourself the tough questions decide if you deserve a green light or red. Nine times out of ten hard work will lead you to recess.

While San Diego may not be widely known as a hub for social media, we sure have some innovative and savvy bloggers and businesses that could give San Francisco a run for its Internet-savvy money. The #influenceSD awards are proof of this. Nominations for local new media greats are being accepted and voting has begun.

Bolt PR is honored to be a nominee in the Best Agency of the Year and would love your vote! Go to http://influencesd.slinkset.com/categories/76953-agency-of-the-year and vote by clicking on the arrow next to our icon/avatar.

Vote for Bolt PR