The harder I work, the luckier I get. —JAMES THURBER
ALL SELF-MADE millionaires work hard, hard, hard. They start earlier, they work harder, and they stay later. They develop a reputation for being amongst the hardest working people in their fields. And everybody knows it. Practice the “40 Plus” formula. This formula says that you work 40 hours per week for survival; everything over 40 hours is for success.
If you work only 40 hours (and the average workweek today is closer to 35 hours), all you will ever do is survive. You will never get ahead. You will never be a big financial success. You will never be highly respected and esteemed by your colleagues. You will always be mediocre working the basic 40-hour week. But every hour over 40 hours is an investment in your future. In fact, you can tell with tremendous accuracy where you are going to be in five years by looking at how many hours over 40 you put in every week. There is just no substitute for long days and hard work. Self-made millionaires in America work an average of 59 hours per week.
Many of them work 70 or 80 hours, especially at the start of their careers. They work an average of six days per week, rather than five, and work longer days as well. If you want to call a self-made millionaire, phone the office before normal working hours and after normal working hours. The self-made millionaire is there when the staff, the “nine-to-fivers,” arrive and is still there when they leave. And here’s the key: Work all the time you work. When you work, don’t waste time. When you get in early, put your head down and get started immediately.
When people want to talk to you, excuse yourself and say, “I have to get back to work!” Do not drop off your dry cleaning, phone your friends, socialize with your coworkers, or read the newspaper. Work all the time you work. Resolve today to develop the reputation for being the hardest working person in your company. This will bring you to the attention of people who can help you faster than almost anything else you can do.
ACTION EXERCISE
Make a plan today to increase the number of hours you work each day. Resolve to get to the office one hour earlier and get a head start on the day. Work at lunchtime when others are gone. Stay one hour later to get caught up. This strategy alone will double your output while adding only two hours to your day.
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