When I was in Hich School, if I got an ‘A’ on my math test by paying attention in class, absorbing the material, and only studying for an hour, was that considered acceptable? Did anyone tell me that I needed to study more hours? Did anyone tell me that it didn’t matter that I received an ‘A’ or that I wasn’t working hard enough? I don’t remember anyone ever telling me that. Did anyone ever tell me that I was spending too much time playing sports or being too involved in other extracurricular school activities? I don’t think I ever heard that either. In fact, it was common knowledge that if you wanted to get into a good college, you needed to show that you were a well rounded individual involved in various activities and not just focused on academics.
So when does this all change? When do we start thinking that filling up our entire day with as many hours of work as possible is a good thing?
I was watching an interview with America’s highest paid television host the other day and they showed a little clip of how busy he was every single day, going from job to job to job all day long. The camera comes back to him and he explains that he has always been this way, that in the beginning of his career he would work all day and then all night at another job. The interviewer appears to be smiling and then softly says to this television host, “that’s called ethic.”
Ethic? Really? So in order to have a good work ethic you must work many hours every single day? In order to be a good student I should have studied for hours and hours every single day? People in the workplace talk about Work-Family balance, but how many truly value this concept and live it? How many people are proud to say they do not work insane hours? That they have a balanced life? That they are well rounded? Shouldn’t it be about the effort that you put in while you are working and the outcome that you produce while you are working, and NOT the amount of time you put in?
Why isn’t there such a thing as a Life Ethic? Or Family Ethic? You never hear anyone talk about that.
Why are people so obsessed with talking about how much they work as if that’s a good thing? I’ve heard people talk this way my entire adult life and it has always bothered me. Here’s what I think: I think that people who work too many hours in a day and too many days in a week are called workaholics. I believe that having a good work ethic means that you show up on time, that you value what you do, that you work hard while you are at work, that you work to the best of your ability, and that on occasion you might need to work extra hours in order to get things done. I believe in effort and results, not appearances.
What does ethic mean to you? Do you think you have a good work ethic?
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