It’s called Determination

So how was your first day of 2008?

Have you done anything significant towards accomplishing your goals in 2008?

There is a little stage between inspiration and accomplishment. Somewhere between becoming inspired to accomplish something and getting to that accomplishment there is a period of time and actions that separate winners from losers. Some people like to call this process “execution” which I think is wrong – execution is an act or result of a said performance or work – but what if you’re a complete idiot and you just keep on pushing in the wrong direction? The beauty (or tragedy) of the whole concept is that for the most part you only know if you’re an idiot about something only after you’re done executing. So no, it’s not execution.

It’s called work ethic. Being driven to do a particular task, or set of tasks, towards a goal. Most people lack work ethic because at times it’s just difficult to work. You don’t have the energy because you are on a diet. You don’t have the energy because you were up all night browsing the web. You’re demotivated because a coworker stepped on your toes today. You didn’t get the promotion. You didn’t get the good parking spot.

Whatever the problem is, people with work ethic tend to get over it. Most people do not. Most people push it off to another day, think it will be easier tomorrow, that a pile of problems is somehow going to be easier to address than dealing with the issue right now.

Today is the first day of 2008. Are you a resolution person? Got some big goals this year? What is different on January 1st, 2008 from December 31st, 2007 other than the date? So you hoped 2008 was going to be different than the previous X years of your life, but what have you done to change it? Nothing. Well, tomorrow is January 2nd, 2008 and you have another chance to reset that clock. Tomorrow is a new day, tomorrow you can do the things you promised yourself you’d start doing today. Then again, two minutes from now is different than two minutes ago, so why wait for tomorrow, why not start two minutes from now?

That dear reader, is called work ethic, don’t wait for it – go for it. The virtual reset buttons and logical dates are completely in your mind – determination to actually do something and start doing it is what its all about because in reality you’re either doing shit or talking shit.