One interesting aspect of social media is the ease which people can share their opinions on anything from the weather to the deepest conspiracy theories. In this capacity, one can easily see which opinions are well thought out, which ones are not, and which ones are a little crazy. Recently, several of my Facebook Friends have shared their negative opinions on people working just 40 hours a week. My knee jerk reaction, from the perspective of someone who would work 12+ hours a day for three full weeks at a time, is to think “Wow, I remember my first part-time job.”
I worked my first 40 hour weeks when I was 14 years old. I am back to roughly 40 hours a week at my current job, with the hope that I will move back to 84 hour weeks, and yet all of these still seem like part-time jobs. That seems crazy on the surface, because who really wants to work more than 12 hours a day? For that matter, who even wants to work 40 hours a day?
Here’s the thing. We can all find motivation to make ourselves better. What I consider my full-time job to be is to become a better, more successful, more rounded person while utilizing the various situations I find myself to be in. I can always do more to excel at work. I can always do more in my off time to hone a skill or knowledge base, whether that be practicing musical instruments, reading and learning about the past, or even refreshing my memory of the two French classes I took in high school. Whether I am working or not, I can always do more to better my health, or cheat on healthy habits to enjoy the company of friends and family.
Those who can find extra time around a 40 hour work week to better themselves, I believe, will move up in the world. One of my favorite mantras is “Make your own luck.” People who are successful in business and in life make their own luck. They can find the extra time when the motivation is there. Take Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. As he was getting the company which would become Nike off the ground, he was working to make ends meet—as a teacher and for an accounting firm. The myth of the 40 hour work week is that there is not enough time to do anything extra, which is a ridiculous thought. In a 24 hour day, if one works 8 hours Monday through Friday, then that leaves 8 hours for leisure and 8 hours for sleep. Anybody can choose what they do in those 8 leisure hours, and if they choose to continue to work then so be it. If they choose to chase a hobby, then so be it. One thing is certain: complacency can be an ugly feeling, which usually comes quietly and overstays its welcome.
Imagine if we took the time that we spend complaining about this or that and instead used it to be productive in some way, shape, or form. If we are to be productive, we must not let complacency in the door. We cannot let laziness grab a hold of us. Can you think of the potential that a shifting perspective can bring? Instead of complaining about a 40 hour work week, we can be thankful for a part-time job that allows us ample room to grow. Throw in a pinch of self-discipline, and we can make real, honest changes in our own lives and the lives of others. At the end of the day, maybe we can find the ultimate moral victory: People who are still complacent will go on and on and on about how we, the successful, are bad people. I am coming for you, Bezos.
Bayou Observant 