What Does Work Ethic Mean?

There are a lot of people who claim to have work ethic.

They let the world know how ‘hard’ they work.

But a lot of these people are the same ones who set an alarm to wake up at 4 am to post a Snapchat with the hashtag #grinding.

Then they go back to sleep.

A lot of people don’t have work ethic.

They simply give off the illusion that they do.

Instead of work ethic, what they have is a desire to be an attention whore.

In the real world, only a few people truly have work ethic.

And that’s because it requires a lot of cognitive effort to show up day in and day out.

It’s not a sexy process.

But before I go any further, you may be wondering:

What does work ethic mean??

Great question, my friend.

And today,  we will be discussing this concept in more detail.

If you were to ask me what is the strongest component of someone who is mentally tough & has genius-level street smarts, then guess what I will say?

You guessed it.

Work ethic.

Let’s explore this topic further.

What Does Work Ethic REALLY Mean?

There are a lot of definitions out there for this phrase.

And I have my personal definition as well.

My personal definition is:

Work ethic is being consistent through uncertainty.

Don’t run off yet.

This may be a brand new definition you have never heard of in your life.

So let’s break down each part.

Being Consistent

All mentally tough people have one thing in common.

They are consistent as fuck.

Showing up day in and day out.

Even if it’s just for a rep, session or a minute, you can count on this group to show up.

Whatever their craft is, they are consistent with it.

The exact opposite of those people are the ones who are super motivated in the beginning, stay consistent, quit for a few days & pick it up a few days later.

These people lack discipline.

Through Uncertainty

This is the shining difference between work & work ethic.

Those who show supreme ethic are the ones who will continue despite uncertainty.

‘Does that mean they keep doing the wrong things over and over?’

No. They are very strategic.

But what working through uncertainty means is that they are patient enough to let the world bend to their reality.

They understand that good things can happen soon.

But great things take time.

So rather than putting in work & praying for instant success.

They will be patient.

And they will be consistent through uncertainty.

How is Work Ethic Valuable?

Work ethic is the most valuable trait in any field.

I always say, when mentoring or hiring someone, focus on the work ethic over their current skillset.

‘Why?’

Because skills can be taught, but fire cannot.

The fire is a PURE representation of how a human deals with chaos.

Do they fold & quit like a bitch?

Or does their fire radiate more when they are pushed against the wall?

Work ethic is valuable because it is the gateway to compounding skills.

Compounding effects are mother nature’s way of telling us to keep going.

Whether it’s public speaking, learning to play the guitar, picking up a new language…

Work ethic is going to be the main component of whether or not someone will make it for the long term.

Is Work Ethic a Skill?

Yes.

Work ethic is a skill.

That means it can be learned practiced & mastered.

From my life, I’ve seen people take different roads towards work ethic.

• Some were led to this road through the pain.

They were never amazing test-takers growing up..

So they grinded extra hard.

• Some were led to this road through jealousy.

They took their foot off the gas pedal & saw other people surpassing them.

This led these individuals to step up their internal game.

• And some were led to this road through their role models.

Whether it was their parents who always showed consistent work ethic.

Or a celebrity role model.

These individuals learned from their surroundings.

Anyone can implement this skill anytime in their life.

It mainly comes down to going from micro to building up.

-If you want to have work ethic, you need to be consistent.

-And if you want to be consistent, you want to be realistic.

Say your goal is to become the best public speaker in the world.

Well, as a beginner public speaker, it will be VERY difficult to give a speech every day.

So be realistic.

What CAN you do?

Well, rather than giving a speech every day, you can:

• Write some days – this will allow you to keep your idea muscle sharp.
• Record youtube videos – This will keep your body language tight.
• Attend a weekly Toastmasters meeting – This will keep your public speaking sharp.
• Get a mentee – Teaching someone twice a week will help you learn.

You broke down a big scary task into one that is very manageable.

Now staying consistent is a no brainer.

The more consistent you are, the more micro wins you stack.

With those micro wins, you build confidence.

The confidence makes work ethic second nature.

Work Ethic = Evergreen

The more you mature, the more you are able to spot what matters from what doesn’t matter.

What is signal vs the noise.

You start looking out for evergreen skills.

I sometimes laugh at the people who get caught up in the latest fashion trends.

They buy some goofy looking clothes.

Pants with holes in them, big ass shoes, no belt etc.

Is this something you can see yourself wearing in 30 years?

Nah.

That means those clothes aren’t evergreen.

The same concept holds true with skills.

There are certain skills which will be used momentarily in your life.

And there are certain other skills which will be valuable for life.

Stay consistent through uncertainty.

And trust me.

This will be a skill that will be beneficial for the rest of your life.

Begin finding creative ways to incorporate it into your life.

Your future self will thank you.

– ArmaniTalks