The Dreaded Four-Letter Word

I would venture to say that most people that I know have never heard me utter a curse word (that is not an admission, nor a denial, of guilt). I do, however, use four-letter words ALL THE TIME. I used seven four-letter words in the first sentence of today’s post alone. Okay, maybe that wasn’t very funny.

But, there are lots of four-letter words in the English language, and we cannot get along without them: time, rest, food, pray, sing, walk, talk. Talk is big for me. I once had someone ask me if I’d die if I wasn’t talking. But, “talk” is not the four-letter word that was impressed upon me as I went through this week’s study materials. The four-letter word of the hour is W-O-R-K.

Work, also defined as perseverance, stamina, faith, courage, trial, error, struggle, “staying the course,” and whatever other words or phrases I choose, for the purposes of this blog, is the number one key to success in entrepreneurship.

In his essay “Are Successful Entrepreneurs Born or Made?”, Jeff Sandefer quotes a self-made businessman who said, “Perseverance is far more important than skill or talent. You have to have a mindset that never gives up, no matter how tough it gets. A little talent and a lot of hard work are the foundation for learning any skill, and are far more important in the long run.”

So, we know that work is important, but this week’s video, "A Hero's Journey," reminds us that it isn’t the only thing that we should focus on. We need balance. When we reach the end of our mortal existence, we won’t be asking ourselves, “Was I a big enough workaholic?” People matter, and so do the four-letter words love, kind, and good.

For the most part, the world could use a little more work. So, go ahead and use this particular four-letter word. I won’t tell anyone.