What makes someone truly successful in their career? How can you develop the traits needed to achieve your goals?
Successful businessman Gary Halbert wrote a series of letters to his son that included advice about fostering a good work ethic. Traits such as motivation, consistency, and resilience are essential building blocks for success in any field.
Read on to learn about these powerful qualities that allow you to achieve more and garner respect from yourself and others.
Good Work Ethic Traits
While serving a sentence for mail fraud in Boron Federal Prison Camp, Gary Halbert wrote his son Bond the Boron Letters: a series of instructions explaining how to get rich marketing products directly to consumers and, more broadly, how to live a happy and successful life. In these letters, Halbert distilled the most important secrets to his success, and anyone with a similar entrepreneurial spirit can use them to make a fortune.
Halbert argues that, to succeed in life, you must cultivate a good work ethic—traits such as motivation, consistency, and resilience. Let’s explore each of these transformational qualities.
Motivation
First, work up a strong sense of motivation. The authors contend that, if you’re motivated to pursue success for its own sake, you’ll be able to make money without feeling like you’re trying. Thus, when deciding what to sell, make sure to choose something you’re excited to work with.
(Shortform note: In The Motivation Myth, Jeff Haden recommends cultivating as much motivation as you can by choosing to spend your time on something that you’re not just excited about but that fulfills you in multiple areas of life. For example, you may start a business with your significant other to fulfill your career ambitions and spend more time with the person you care about most.)
Consistency
Second, commit to consistently working hard and practicing habits that lead to success, even when unforeseen problems disrupt your life. The authors explain that, over a long enough timeframe, everyone gets offered opportunities for wild success. However, you can take advantage of these opportunities only if you’re ready for them; that is, if you’ve built habits that allow you to tap into your full potential at work every day. You’ll never have the perfect conditions to build these habits, so consistently work on them no matter what unexpected obstacles appear.
(Shortform note: The Halberts assert that as long as you keep practicing productive habits despite the problems in your life, opportunities for success will come along. In The Obstacle Is the Way, Ryan Holiday flips this idea, arguing that every problem is, in itself, an opportunity for success. Every tragedy has a hidden upside you can claim if you choose. For example, if your most insufferable co-worker gets moved to your team, you can practice the productive habits of patience and personal boundaries. This is a chance to strengthen your moral character that you otherwise wouldn’t have had.)
Resilience
Finally, develop mental resilience. Life is hard, but you can conquer it by cultivating a willingness to move forward despite the pain, argue the authors. Once you become mentally resilient, your demeanor will instinctively change, and it’ll be easier to gain respect from others. Working out and building muscle can help you cultivate this trait of resilience.
(Shortform note: In Discipline Equals Freedom, Jocko Willink asserts that martial arts is one of the best forms of exercise for developing resilience. Not only will martial arts help you build muscle and feel like you can defend yourself, it’ll also teach you how to persevere through painful situations. In particular, Willink recommends jiu-jitsu, as it’s a complex and intellectually stimulating martial art that emphasizes the ability to escape from fights. Research shows that people who practice jiu-jitsu are not only more self-confident (supporting the Halberts’ assertion that resilience helps you earn the respect of others), but they’re also more likely to be tolerant and respectful of others.)
