Hard work is good therapy

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. RONALD JOHNSON
  • 56th Medical Support Squadron commander
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  I was raised on the outskirts of a small town. My dad was a banker; however, his life's dream was to be a dairy farmer and consequently we lived on a small farm. We had cows, chickens, pigs and a fairly large plot of land for a garden. 

My life was filled with chores. I was the oldest son and it seemed to me I had the lion's share of the outside chores. Morning and night I milked cows, fed chickens and pigs, and pulled the endless supply of weeds in the garden. I helped with indoor chores as well. Cooking, cleaning, laundry -- you name it, I did it. My parents would say that I complained endlessly about how unfair life was. I reminded them regularly that they were breaking child labor laws by making me do all those chores. 

The bottom line is that despite all of my complaining my parents did an outstanding job teaching me the importance of hard work. I would like to think that I learned my lesson well back then; however, it has taken regular failures and renewed effort on my part to remind me just how important hard work is to my personal well-being. 

As human beings one of our innate needs is the need to be successful at something. In today's world of technology and innovation, where everything is available to us at a moment's notice, we expect our personal success to be quick and easy. What we find in reality is that success is not easy and certainly does not come quickly, and when our expectations meet reality we become frustrated. This is where the therapy of hard work comes in. 

You can read any number of books on success and happiness and you will invariably find that hard work is a key ingredient. Successful people aren't necessarily more talented, smarter or provided any more opportunities than anyone else. They are successful because they work hard to be successful. They have realized that each individual person, no matter what their IQ or talent, can be successful if they just take the initiative to work. Studies have shown that even when an individual does not reach their ultimate goal, the actual effort of working for that goal breeds contentment and self confidence. That contentment and self confidence helps the individual continue with the hard work, which in turn eventually leads to success. 

In conclusion, in a world where everything is available at the speed of electrons, hard work and time are still the ingredients for contentment, happiness and ultimately success. Looking back at my youth and the hard work my parents made me do I realize that the hard work of others does not help my own personal well being. I have to take the initiative and do my own hard work if I am to receive the personal benefit. 

Take a moment to look at your own life. Do you feel like you are content and successful? If the answer is yes, I would submit that it is because you have taken the initiative in your life to work hard toward your goals. If the answer is no, then I would encourage you to take the initiative to use the therapy of hard work to get you where you want to be. No one can do it for you.