Hello Everyone!
I hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend! Now it’s back to reality . . . and work. We always say this, as if we wish we could live a work-free life — a life where we do whatever we want on our own schedule, with little to no responsibility or accountability. In theory, this sounds amazing, right? A life of relaxation and bliss.
In practice, however, it would leave us all bored, unchallenged, under-developed, and unfulfilled. Don’t get me wrong, I have my fair share of days where the last thing I want to do is go to work — those of you who follow my Instagram page know this well, as evidenced by my Monday morning coffee posts with “#thegrind.”
But the people who know me well also know that this is simply my coping mechanism, and my effort to connect with those of you who can relate to that feeling, even while knowing full well that there’s nothing more valuable than work for developing perspective, self-reliance, and character.
Neither of my parents went to college, I didn’t grow up in a privileged or wealthy home, nor did I have things handed to me. From high school, through undergrad, to my first “real” job, through law school, and now as a lawyer, I’ve worked hard for all that I’ve achieved. And, I can honestly say that it was the bad days, the days where I asked myself, “why am I doing this,” but did it anyway, that made me who I am today — a strong, confident woman who believes that no matter what’s thrown at me, I’ll figure it out. It’s also made me appreciate the off-times that much more. When I get precious time off work to focus on the people I love, I do my best to cherish every moment.
Receiving something without working for it, or in other words, without earning it, robs us of our dignity and saps our motivation. Why work hard or be a productive when someone else will do the heavy lifting for you? This may not seem like a problem in small numbers, but as more and more people fall victim to this way of thinking, sooner or later all of society suffers: we have less creativity, productivity, and innovation.
If you take two people — one who works hard, earns his or her way, and retains the ability to choose how to spend the fruits of his or her labor, or someone who is dependent upon someone else to dole out what that person “needs” at any given time, often directing how that person can use it and for what purpose — and ask which person is happier and more fulfilled, my money is on the first person every time. The things I’m most proud of in my life aren’t things that were given to me, they’re things that I’ve earned.
The process of “earning” something builds confidence, perseverance, and character. It also makes you a more appreciative, thankful person. Which brings me to the second part of this very important life lesson — stay humble. No matter how much you achieve in life, never forget where you started. Remember how you struggled, and how you felt when you were in the early stages of your journey. Be kind to others, give them the benefit of the doubt, and realize each person you encounter is on their own journey, fighting their own battles (many of which you’ll never know about). Never grow arrogant. Remember that a person’s value comes from God, not who they are, what they look like, or what they’ve achieved.
This advice has carried me through many difficult times in my life, and made me deeply appreciate the good times.
What piece of advice have you relied upon in your life? Send e a note, I’d love for you to share it with me!
yours, Kristin
p.s. For those of you interested in my top, it is custom-made, but you can order one (with the same message, or one of your choosing), here! Note that I also cut the sleeves off the top when I received it, which is why it appears long-sleeve in this link, but short-sleeve in my post. I’ve also included a few other sweatshirt options below, for those of you who want to keep things light-hearted and fun, instead of making a statement.
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