What transforms raw effort into ethical action?

There was a time, not too long ago, when I had the work-ethic, grit, determination, bull-headed dial twisted to 11. I believe I understand the error, and sometimes I actually feel that a lower setting would be better.

This is the fear, when people start being kind to themselves — that they’ll be too soft, they won’t get stuff done, they’ll let themselves off the hook too easily, they’ll just lie around doing nothing.

~ Leo Babauta from, How to Be Kind to Yourself & Still Get Stuff Done

Most ideas I have come with urges. The urge to drop everything and work on the idea is irresistible. The urge to bring a new idea into reality can swell to consume all my thoughts and time. I’ll know I have learned my lesson when new ideas simply feel interesting not urgent.

The worst mistake which was ever made in this world was the separation of political science from ethics.

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

Work ethic is simply one cousin in a huge family of ethics. There was no overarching framework to how I learned ethics—no syllabus, no curriculum, just fragments picked up along the way. Ethics were at best complex sets of rules describing what to do (or think) but not why, and at worst complex learned behaviors without even explicitly understanding what to do.

The Stoics argued that it’s not feelings and pleasure that control our primary impulses but reason—and because of this, reason, like a craftsman, overrides impulse. Sometimes what feels good leads to bad results. What we feel is good for us often isn’t. Reason alone allows us to keep our individual nature (what’s good for me) and universal nature (what’s good for my kind) in harmony.

~ Stephen Hanselman from, Oikeiosis – Stoic Ethics and the Unbreakable Connection Between Self-Interest and the Interests of Others

It took me too long to separate the value of an idea from the effort required to bring it to fruition. I thought hard work made something important. But too often my efforts were busy-work, ultimately unproductive, or—the worst—self-aggrandizing. A wiser ethic counsels asking “Was this worth doing at all?” rather than “How hard did I work?”

A man does the job no one else wants to do.
A man lives with integrity every day.
The most important form of courage is moral courage.
Live with quiet dignity.

~ “Atticus Finch”

We need more people with a solid work ethic. We need people who are self-starters, detail oriented, capable of anticipating problems and acting in advance, and who can think things through. These are all things worth striving for.

Somewhere along the way, marketers stopped acting like real people. We substituted a new set of ethics, one built around “buyer beware” and the letter of the law. Marketers, in order to succeed in a competitive marketplace, decided to see what they could get away with instead of what they could deliver.

~ Seth Godin from, Trust and Respect, Courage and Leadership

This dovetails perfectly with my personal directive of respect for others’ time. Time is our most precious resource—inherently valuable—and thus I contend it’s unethical to waste others’ time. I show up on time (early is “on time”) not because I’m a control freak or nervous, but because I appreciate that someone is allocating some of their precious time for me.

Achieving the extraordinary is not a linear process. The secret is to show up, do the work, and go home. A blue collar work ethic married to indomitable will. It is literally that simple. Nothing interferes. Nothing can sway you from your purpose. Once the decision is made, simply refuse to budge. Refuse to compromise.

~ Christopher Sommer

The time-sink of video games— Distraction of mindless television— Constant digital interaction with others without real communication— Seeking incessant stimulation without actually feeling anything— Inundation with information without adding knowledge—

These things we can do without.

It’s important to take time to think about what we’re reading and not merely assume the thoughts of the author. We need to digest, synthesize, and organize the thoughts of others if we are to understand. This is the grunt work of thinking. It’s how we acquire wisdom.

~ Shane Parrish from, A Meditation on Reading

A critical piece is missed if an ethic counsels avoiding the grunt work. Things are worthwhile only when there’s real, physical or mental effort (or better yet both.) There will always be a tension in balancing how much effort is necessary and how much is too much. I’ve made my life better, but I’ve still much room to improve.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

ɕ