Beyond the 9-5
While other blogs are fighting for four-day work weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about maximizing my commitment to my career (current job and future). In my opinion if you’re a clock watcher, putting in your time 9-5 just to escape to happy hour or your DVR, you’re putting restrictions on your future. Even in the corporate world that entrepreneurial mindset of getting it done and then some, no matter what, is a great way to approach your professional life. Now some of you are thinking, if i get my work done that’s all that matters. Well that’s all well and good if you’re competing against the guy in the cube next to you, not trying to reach your ultimate potential.
After work yesterday, I headed across town to spend a few hours with some friends who run their own firm. There’s something incredibly gutsy, inspiring and energizing about people who compete against their own ambitions and goals instead of the next guy. We were talking about a good example of competing against the field vs. yourself - the example happened to be Usain Bolt from Jamaica in the 100M race last week. Bolt easily beat the field and the WR, but he pulled up at the end and didn’t compete for his best race. A young professional with an entrepreneurial mindset, like the guys at this firm, aren’t competing for the race today, but the bigger picture of success. They’re not worried about the 9-5, they’re worried about getting the job done, growing their knowledge base and impacting their clients in a meaningful way. They’re there at 6 a.m. or 2 a.m. and all the hours in between if need be to get the job done.
For me, yesterday was a lot of ambient learning, whether they knew it or not, about their industry, their commitment and a lot of other things. There’s a quote one of the guys refers to as something that drives him, “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” - anonymous. Great quote - and there’s no better time in your life to dedicate that extra time than now as a young professional.
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August 28th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I agree for the most part about what you are saying about competing against yourself rather than getting it done and then going home. BUT you also need to keep in mind what is rewarded inside your company if that is where you are trying to succeed and what your ultimate goals are. Not all of us are trying to be “the most famous” or “the best paid” some of us just want to succeed to the best of our abilities and love life. And there are certain things you can’t sacrifice, be it family or friends. There are a lot of rich successful people that don’t necessarily enjoy life, so make sure you make decisions knowing the sacrifices and make sure you are doing it to achieve YOUR goals.
August 28th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I see what you are saying — and I love the Bolt reference. It drove me crazy when he slowed down at the end. I know he wanted to make it look effortless — but why not do your best at the Olympics!
August 28th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Paul - I disagree. You say there are certain things you can’t sacrifice like friends or family. The idea is that there are some periods of time that you DO HAVE TO SACRIFICE these things in order to achieve ultimate goals and optimize your chances. Some people aren’t willing to go through that though.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
In my experience, putting in the extra hours and doing the extra work isn’t near as hard as trying to explain to friends and family why it’s important to you.
I work hard and play hard, but I just play less now. I still go to 3-5 social occasions a week (from a 1 hour happy hour event to a 4 hour football game), yet in my last semester of graduate school, my friends can’t comprehend why all of my spare time isn’t focussed on ‘hanging out.’
I guess when you get ‘there,’ where ever ‘there’ is for you, perhaps it will make sense to them.
August 29th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Paul,
I totally agree with doing what’s right for your life. My post was geared toward doing what you have to do to reach your potential. For some it might not be applicable to their career and that’s a choice each of us make. It’s not about being famous or being rich, its about self actualization.
August 30th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Making yourself the ultimate competition is wonderful becuase there is always room for improve. I’m running my first marathon and believe me, I’m not competing against the other 20,000 people running it… its against myself. But you have to be careful.
The quote “living your life like most people wont, so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t” sounds somewhat precocious. Before you are willing to spend all your time for the goal of ultimate success, be careful of what you are sacrificing. Be it college years, friends, or time with family, you never know what life is going to throw at you - everything can change in an instant. I’m completely supportive of working hard and loving what you do, but if you have no one to share it with at the end of the day, what’s the point?
“The work never ends, but college does” from Tom Petty comes to mind. If you find yourself still in your office alone at midnight, just remember that your computer screen will still be there tomorrow - and computers don’t have feelings. Relationships on the other hand can change over night, and wont necessarily be the same over time after never being a top priority.
September 18th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Another quote: “We do what we have to so we can do what we want to.”
September 18th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
So very true Dana…so very true indeed!
September 30th, 2008 at 10:28 am
This is a great and inspirational article. I try to think about this mindset every day as I work towards my ultimate goal(s) of entrepreneurship.