I actually liked it. It put a little challenge into the day.
That was over 20 years ago, when I was an assistant. Now I'm the boss and answer directly to the Board. Quite literally, I have the best job in the entire world! Great pay, make my own hours, interesting, and flat out FUN. And I get the pleasure of serving some of the hardest working folks I know.
Ultimately, though, I would not be in the position, nor would I be able to keep this position, if it weren't for my parents drilling into my head the importance of hard work. I've pulled all-nighters to get a project done just right, or juggled like a mad woman to meet the needs of my family and my members. Less than a week after my latest child was born, I was back on the job, making sure our 25th Anniversary Party went off perfectly.
A lazy non-starter would fall flat on their face.
Those 18-hour long work days during crunch time are balanced by easy breezy weeks during the summer slow time, when I can hit the pool with my kids. The 1:00 AM projects are balanced by attending my family's events.
In the end, it's the results that matter. Performing programs, happy members, big sponsorship numbers, a growing organization in a down economy. Half-hearted efforts are not good enough.
The problem that so many do’nt realize, is that there is a PROCESS to success, mainly through ahrd work, but learning the right skills to go along with it. In the entertainment industry, things either happen or they don’t. In the real world, it’s quite the opposite, there is a PROCESS to getting that great job and requires sacrifice at an early age.