I play volleyball at the college-level, and over the past few years as a collegiate athlete, I've learned that the concept of 'earning' is relatively obsolete. There is no such thing as earning a position; no such thing as winning a captainship or deserving playing time. Likewise, from internships I've learned that, in the workplace, a pat on the back, a raise, or a corner office is not something you get because you are entitled to it. Certainly, hard work pays off. But we are fooled into believing that putting in x hours of hard work automatically merits immediate, tangible reimbursement. Unfortunately, the tie between hard work and advancement is not always a transactional relationship.
Don't get me wrong--it is true that hard-working people are often rewarded; but success comes not from those people's day-to-day performance in practice (or in the office). Hard-working people's success is a result of how they perform in the hot seat--how they react when they are put in the game. From volleyball I've learned that you play, you are promoted, you are given a position because of your running tally of two events: opportunities taken and opportunities missed. Amid all of your daily efforts, you are frequently given small tests: opportunities to stand out, to shine, to corroborate your demonstrated hard work. When you take advantage of those opportunities, your reliability is noted and often rewarded. When you miss them, when you fail to recognize those opportunities' importance, you fail the test. Treat hard work as a paradigm--not a privelege--and take advantage of the unexpected opportunities to stand out.
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