I remember years ago when I was in my master of business administration (MBA) program taking a particularly difficult class in quantitative analysis.
We had a rather arduous test one time, and I remember the painful feeling I had when I saw that I got a B- when I was hoping to get an A.
As I was in class contemplating how I would need to improve before the other tests in that course, a lady on the front row of the class raised her hand with a question.
When the instructor called on her she pleaded with him for a higher grade because she said she had studied very hard. I’ll never forget the answer that the professor gave her which applies to much of life.
“You don’t get a grade based on how hard you study. Your grade is a result of your test answers.”
Results are what matter
Life is like that. You don’t get paid in life — and definitely not in business — based on how much effort or trying you put into something.
I don’t care how many hours it takes to make a car that I would purchase. What I care about are the results of what the car manufacturer is offering. Those results consist of the quality of the car in key areas that are important to me, as well as the overall price that I will pay.
It is too easy in life to make excuses rather than do the work. Many people think like my classmate cited earlier did, that she should get a grade based on the amount of time she studied.
Many people feel that because they have a great need that somehow they are entitled to something.
I remember a friend of mine telling me years ago some profound words of advice; “Your needs do not constitute a demand on my resources.” Just because someone feels they have a need for something does not give them the right to take what I have worked to earn. Ultimately in life, you don’t get value based on need, but rather on what you produce and earn.
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