- Forever Change is a quirky DIY guide to change and personal growth. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone, and create a better you - FOREVER.
- I post here about once a week. I also have a sister site Forever Change Weight Loss.
Has Money Diminished the Value of Hard Work?
This is the first article in an occasional series about inspirational people - with a couple of differences.
Firstly, it is not about famous people, in fact you have probably never heard about the people I am going to present in this series. It is about everyday people who I believe give tangible meaning to the word amazing.
Secondly, after providing a brief glimpse of their amazing achievements, I will focus on one aspect and offer an opinion - perhaps even play devil’s advocate to open up discussion about a particular issue.
Today’s inspirational person is Jared Horomona of New Zealand.
Jared was born with cerebral palsy, and is unable to stand upright on his own. Jared however, has completed challenges that most people wouldn’t even try.
New York City Marathon
Jared has completed the New York City Marathon twice (on crutches). In the 1997 marathon the conditions were atrocious, and Jared was forced to withdraw with only 4.5 miles to go. Jared was determined to finish the distance, so the next day he went back out to complete the remainder of the race. As he got closer to the finish line he noticed a police escort and then when he got to the finish line, organisers had put the finish line tape up for him.
12 Week Body Transformation
In 2000, Jared completed a Body for Life 12 week challenge and he won the title of 2000 Grand Champion Inspiration. Jared has considerable difficulty working with weights and participating in other active sports due to his lack of coordination and lack of strength in his hands. Most of his weights work in the gym has to be done on his knees.
Amazing Before and After Photos
Jared’s before and after photos are here. I was totally blown away when I came across them. Aren’t they amazing? By the way the reason Jared is standing in front of a car is because he wanted to stand without his crutches, so he used the car to help support him in the photos.
There are many facets to the story of Jared Horomona, too many to flesh out here in this article. I thought I would focus on one aspect - The amount of hard work and effort Jared was prepared to put in to successfully complete the challenges he set himself.
Hard Work vs Easy Options
How many of us are prepared to work that hard to get what we want? We are champions at starting and yet many of us (me included sometimes) suck at finishing. We think we want something badly and yet we end up falling short of what we want. The desire might be there but do we translate that desire into appropriate action?
I think there is too much emphasis on the quick fix or the easy option in today’s society. For example taking diet pills to lose weight instead of the “hard option” - exercising and eating well. Are people still able to see the 
value of putting in hard work to achieve their goals or has money to some extent muddied the waters?
I think money is sometimes being used as a substitute for hard work. Do you think there is an increasing expectation that you can get want you want by throwing money around instead of working hard and “earning” it?
What are your thoughts on this? I am interested to hear your thoughts about this issue or about anything else covered in this article.
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Hi Leanne,
Very inspiring story about Jared! I think that there are some people that think money can replace hard work. But I think that this is a false belief… For example, if you won the lottery, and decided “I’m going to buy an airplane”, would you have the same level of enjoyment as the man who decides to build and airplane, buying the parts for it over the course of 5 years and building it himself? When you can just go buy something, that takes some of the fun out of it. Being happy, for the man building the airplane, was about the day-to-day process of building it. It wasn’t like he wasn’t happy until the day he flew it. Similarly, when Jared trained for the marathon, I’m sure the day-to-day training made him happy. Then, actually running and finishing the marathon is icing on the cake.
Derek Ralstons last blog post..Eat and Grow Rich: 5 Reasons to Start a Mastermind Group over Your Lunch Break at Work
Leanne, thank you for visiting my site and commenting on “Throwing Junk In The Trunk.” It’s always nice to have new visitors!
I agree with your article that we are a society of people who have become accustomed to instant results and the immediate product. I’ve found that it has benefitted and hurt us at the same time, the latter being described in your piece.
There is something to be said for patience and the art of doing things carefully and purposefully. The satisfaction of an end result that has been worked on over time is much greater than something attained within minutes. I also find that the stability and quality of a product that has had time invested into it is also much greater.
It comes down to effort, patience and a little resolve. I have to admit, sometimes I am in short supply of those. With everything moving so fast in today’s world, it can be difficult to apply those traits!
Great article, I look forward to the other installments!
John Young | We Have Contacts last blog post..Throwing Junk In The Trunk
Hi Derek – welcome to Forever Change.
I like the airplane example you gave. I agree – if you are engaged in working towards a goal you can enjoy the journey along the way, and get a real sense of accomplishment once you have achieved your goal.
Hi John, thanks for stopping by. I like seeing new visitors too. You make a good point about doing things carefully and purposefully - investing time. With today’s fast paced world the temptation is always there to see if there is an easier way.
At work we see this attitude with the students more and more - the expectation to get what they want without working for it! One school of thought is that parents try to appease thier children by buying them things, or spending the money to put them through private school or involve them in many activities. This stems from a guilty conscience about being working parents and therefore having limited time to actually BE with the kids.
there is so much more satsifaction in working on something to acheive a goal or the desired outcome - the buzz is awesome!
So how do we push the swing back the other way - that hard work does pay off and is worth it????
Good question Karen. As you indicate, parents could be contributing to the problem rather than being role models. What about other role models or people that children look up to or admire. If children aspire to be like celebrities such as Paris Hilton, etc then I can see that the message that hard work does pay off and is worth it could be falling on “deaf ears.” I suppose children really need to feel the buzz of achieving something themselves to be convinced. I like the idea of big projects at school where students get recognition for hard work.
Take for example the solar challenge (held once a year I think), where solar powered cars “race” from Darwin to Adelaide (from one end of Australia to the other for overseas readers). Some schools have a team of students involved in every aspect eg building the car, technology behind it, research, driving the car and so on. The students involved get an enormous buzz from taking part in such an awesome project.
This is an very interesting and complex issue you have raised Karen. Perhaps other readers have some ideas about how to push the swing the other way.
Hi Leanne,
First off, what an amazing story about Jared. The before and after photos are phenomenal.
I do agree, money is often used to (try and) buy happiness, and for instant gratification. Hard work has almost become a curse word, and anti work blogs even pop up on the internet.
Having been raised to work hard for what I get, if something was just handed to me, I would feel guilty.
Barbara Swaffords last blog post..NBOTW - Blogging - No Age Requirement
Barbara
Yes Jared’s before and after photos and are amazing and demonstrate clearly the value of putting in the hard work. The anti work blogs you refer to are I suppose a reflection of what people want. OK not everything has to be hard work - I think success (however you want to define success) still requires some hard work to get there.
You’ve raised a line of thinking I’ve not looked at before but I have looked at the relationship between hard work and money. You would think that those who work the hardest would make the most money but that’s just not true. I see nothing wrong with work being easier and delightful. When it is we are more often working in our natural niche doing what we were meant to do.
There is too much emphasis on a quick fix, I agree. It can take years of exploration to really nail your life’s purpose.
Hi Tom
“I see nothing wrong with work being easier and delightful. When it is we are more often working in our natural niche doing what we were meant to do.”
Good point you made.…work doesn’t have to be tortuous and if it is aligned with our life purpose then work can be a joy.
Mmhh…where are all the other comments. I could have sworn I saw the figure 8 and now they have seemingly disappeared.
Leanne, what a wonderful story. Thank you for bringing the light of Jared to our lives by writing about him. His transformation is nothing short of a miracle and it shows how the mind can rule over the body if we only let it.
I definitely think that some people think there is a substitute for hard work by throwing money around. Sadly it often works too. I think in our “reality” money does seem to rule the world until we hear stories like Jared’s that remind us there are people who battle life just like we do, only with other challenges.
There is nothing wrong with having money, just what we do with it when we have it makes all the difference. Plus money gained with hard work is so much more appreciated anyway. But in the end, money is nothing without love and friendships, we could be the richest person in the world and totally alone, or one of the most challenged (by body) and inspire thousands.
Which one would you choose?
Monika Mundells last blog post..What Truly Lights Your Fire?
That’s an amazing feat for Jared to have conquered! Simply put, I’m in awe… The truth is, what you say has some truth in it; we’re great at starting on things but aren’t so great at finishing them. Sometimes we go for the easy fix but that doesn’t really accomplish anything. In reality, it just makes us lazier.
There’s a saying I picked up from someone somewhere and the idea kind of stuck with me….”the harder you work, the luckier you get.” I’ve kept that attitude and so far, from time to time, it works!
Ribeezies last blog post..If you could live anywhere in the world…
That saying makes sense Ricardo - much like the saying “you make your own luck” .
Hi Monika
My tardy response is because I only just found your comment in my Askimet spam. How on earth Askimet marked it as spam is beyond me. Maybe the word money more than twice did it?? Anyhow thanks for your feedback and agree money can be hollow and literally not worth the paper it is written on if there is no love, friendship and achievement through inspiration.
[...] Get out of the “easy street” mentality. – “I think there is too much emphasis on the quick fix or the easy option in today’s society. For example taking diet pills to lose weight instead of the “hard option” - exercising and eating well…. money is sometimes being used as a substitute for hard work. Do you think there is an increasing expectation that you can get want you want by throwing money around instead of working hard and “earning” it? – via Forever Change [...]
[...] ap the “easy street” mentality. — from Forever Change — “I think there is too much emphasis on the quick fix or the easy option in today’s [...]
I agree with you, everyone seems to want “a quick fix” or a shortcut. A quick way to get the greenbacks. It’s just the evolution of society. Most would prefer just to be handed the money without having to do the work. There is however, great pride that can be obtained by completing a job, whether physically or mentally difficult.
Hi Andrew - Thanks for visiting Forever Change.
I agree - completing a job can be so satisfying. The quick fix junkies just don’t know what they are missing out on.
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