The beauty of hard work is that any able-bodied person can do it. If you put in more hours honing your craft than the average person, chances are you\u2019ll achieve far greater success than the average person.<\/p>\n
If you happen to be rich, well-connected, and blessed with movie-star looks, combining those advantages with relentless effort might catapult you to unimaginable heights.<\/p>\n
But for most of us\u2014who are, by definition, average\u2014our greatest asset is our work ethic. The only path forward is to keep pushing, refining, and showing up, even when we don\u2019t feel like it. Success comes to those who put in the work, day in and day out.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n One of my goals for 2025<\/a> is to sell my old house and simplify life. While I remain bullish on San Francisco real estate due to ongoing tech wealth creation, I\u2019m also past my limit on the number of rental properties I want to manage. In Q4 2023, I bought another home and rented out my old one for a year.<\/p>\n Now, with more flexibility on commission rates and another year of stock market gains, I figure it\u2019s a good time to sell and reinvest the proceeds into 100% passive income investments<\/a>. I gave renting out the place a shot, and I won\u2019t have any regrets about not having tried.<\/p>\n As part of my plan, I identified two real estate agents. The first was a mid-tier agent who originally sold me the home. We connected over hours of private 1-on-1 showings during the 2020 lockdown. The second was a top-tier agent I\u2019ve gotten to know since moving to the west side of San Francisco<\/a> in 2014. <\/p>\n Since the mid-tier agent had fought for me during my purchase, I wanted to return the favor by hiring him. He was also willing to charge a lower commission rate. However, when I gave him the opportunity to pitch his services for another<\/em> property I considered selling in 2024, he failed to follow up for two weeks after visiting the home.<\/p>\n As a result, I decided to interview the top-tier agent, given her stellar track record of selling homes in the area.<\/p>\n After meeting with both agents for an hour, I told them I\u2019d be back from our family vacation on December 31, 2024. I didn\u2019t give them any specific instructions\u2014I prefer not to tell people what to do. I simply left it at that, using it as a subtle test to see how long it would take them to follow up.<\/p>\n The top-tier agent followed up on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, checking in on how my trip went and where I stood on selling. The mid-tier agent, on the other hand, didn\u2019t follow up until Friday, January 17\u2014and still hadn\u2019t provided a marketing game plan.<\/p>\n Waiting a week into the new year to follow up was reasonable. People are busy after the holidays. But waiting 17 days? That signaled a lack of urgency, especially since I had been gone on vacation for eight days I was worried that if he took this long to follow up with me, he might take too long to follow up with prospective buyers. If I were planning to list the following month, there was also a lot of preparation work that needed to be done and coordinated.<\/p>\n Ultimately, I chose the top-tier agent<\/a> because of her work ethic. We even ran into her at a Tuesday broker tour the morning after she reached out. It felt like destiny. With her, I felt confident that things would get done without me having to chase her down.<\/p>\n In the end, hustle and follow-up matter. The mid-tier agent had another opportunity, but he let it slip away. I was rooting for him, as I always like to root for the underdog. <\/p>\n When you\u2019re not yet a top producer, hard work, hustle, and follow-up are your greatest equalizers. You must make your prospective client feel like they\u2019re your number one priority. What you lack in achievement, you can make up for with relentless dedication and exceptional service.<\/p>\n Regret is one of the worst feelings because it often signals that you didn\u2019t try hard enough. Even if you make the wrong decision, working hard toward your chosen path minimizes regret. Why? Because you gave it your all. The clearest antidote to regret is putting in the effort.<\/p>\n Even when things don\u2019t go as planned, knowing you gave your best effort will leave you more content.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s one undeniable benefit of working in banking, it\u2019s the brutal hours you\u2019re forced to endure for years before tasting some success. Even when you make Managing Director, your reward is often more of the same\u2014long hours and relentless pressure.<\/p>\n But perhaps an even tougher job? Working minimum-wage service roles<\/a>. These jobs often have you on your feet all day, performing repetitive tasks while managing frustrated customers who demand perfection. Experiencing the grind of hard work for little pay early on can instill a deep appreciation for any future job that offers more fulfillment and opportunity.<\/p>\n I wonder if the lack of hustle by some is simply because they haven’t experienced the endless grind before? Or maybe life was too easy for them growing up. I’m not sure.<\/p>\n If you can wake up at 7 AM to build someone else\u2019s vision, you can wake up at 5 AM to build your own. Get to it!<\/p>\n When I worked in international equities at Goldman Sachs at One New York Plaza, I was stationed on the 49th floor. Our day started at 5:30 a.m.\u2014a full four hours before the stock market opened. One of my roles as a financial analyst grunt was to compile all the necessary information from the previous night and early morning so the traders, sales traders, and salespeople were fully prepared to speak with their clients.<\/p>\n Coming in at 5:30 a.m. and leaving after 7:00 p.m. every day wasn\u2019t fun, but it trained me to make the most of the early hours. Mornings are when you have the most energy and focus. By tackling the hardest tasks early, the rest of the day becomes much more manageable.<\/p>\n Fast forward 26 years, and I still wake up between 4:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. every day. This habit has become even more important now that I have kids. Taking care of young children requires tremendous energy and attention. They can always sense when you\u2019re distracted. Waking up early allows me to get my writing done before beautiful chaos ensues. <\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re building a side hustle<\/a>, tackling your to-do list, or carving out time for personal growth, conquering your mornings is key.<\/p>\n Whenever someone asks me for advice on getting ahead, I always say:\u00a0\u201cNever fail due to a lack of effort because effort requires no skill.<\/strong>\u201c<\/em>\u00a0For those who take this mantra seriously, I often see them accomplish great things.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, too many people sabotage themselves by giving up on their work ethic far too soon\u2014or worse, by giving up entirely. If you know that success is just one more phone call, one more email, one more client meeting, one more video, or one more product away, why would you stop?<\/p>\n Yet, there are still people who work just 40 hours a week or less<\/a> and then complain about why they can\u2019t get ahead. It\u2019s baffling, especially when those who are already far ahead<\/em> continue to put in well over 40 hours a week to get further ahead.<\/p>\n I know some people get upset when they read my take on work, but the reality is, your competition doesn\u2019t care about your feelings. It\u2019s a brutally competitive world. Without consistent effort, you\u2019ll never get ahead of the average person.<\/p>\n Yes, I understand that this article feeds into \u201chustle culture,\u201d which some view as toxic, especially when feeling burned out. But my point isn\u2019t that you don’t have to grind indefinitely\u2014it\u2019s that you have to work hard when it matters most.<\/p>\n The window of opportunity is smaller than you think<\/a>. When you\u2019re in a position to advance\u2014whether it\u2019s landing a client, securing a promotion, or building something meaningful\u2014go all in. Because eventually, you\u2019ll hit a ceiling, and those rare opportunities to accelerate your success will disappear.<\/p>\n If I could turn back time, I would have started Financial Samurai sooner\u2014rather than waiting until 2009 when I was already 32. From ages 26 to 29, I juggled a full-time job, working ~60 hours a week, while attending business school part-time for another 20 hours. Yet, after graduating, I let three years slip by before launching this site. What a shame.<\/p>\n It’s not just local competitors you\u2019re up against. You\u2019re also contending with hungrier, more determined international competitors who see how much opportunity there is in the United States and are willing to outwork you to get it.<\/p>\n For example, while we\u2019ve been pouring billions into AI development, countries like China have managed to catch up with far fewer resources. How? They worked harder and innovated out of necessity<\/a> because they didn\u2019t have the luxury of doing otherwise. Like it or not, we face domestic and international competition. And if we’re not careful, we’ll get passed by.<\/p>\n Effort is the great equalizer. And the shame of missing opportunities due to a lack of effort is that it\u2019s entirely avoidable. If success is in your sights, put in the work\u2014it costs nothing but time and determination.<\/p>\n Readers, what do you think is holding people back from working harder to get ahead? How essential do you believe a strong work ethic is for building above-average wealth? Have we in the United States become too complacent because life here is relatively comfortable?<\/em><\/p>\n To build more wealth than 90% of the population, order a copy of my new upcoming bestseller,\u00a0Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps To Seven Figures<\/strong><\/a>. It will be one of the most impactful books you’ll read that will change your life for the better.\u00a0<\/p>\n To expedite your journey to financial freedom, join over 60,000 others and subscribe to the\u00a0free Financial Samurai newsletter<\/a><\/strong>. You can also sign up here<\/a><\/strong> to get my posts in your inbox as soon as they come out. Sometimes I publish very timely pieces about current events. <\/p>\n Financial Samurai is among the largest and most trusted independently-owned personal finance websites, established in 2009. Everything is written based on firsthand experience and expertise.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The beauty of hard work is that any able-bodied person can do it. If you put in more hours honing your craft than the average person, chances are you\u2019ll achieve far greater success than the average person. If you happen to be rich, well-connected, and blessed with movie-star looks, combining those advantages with relentless effort […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[4629,11224,10912,1338,20524,15985,14445,418],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-72039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance","tag-dont","tag-due","tag-financial","tag-hard","tag-lack","tag-lose","tag-opportunities","tag-work"],"yoast_head":"\nA Missed Opportunity Due to a Lack of Hustle and Follow-Up<\/h2>\n
The Top-Tier Agent Wanted It More<\/h2>\n
Work Harder to Minimize Regrets<\/h2>\n
Some examples of regret minimization<\/a> through hard work: <\/h3>\n
\n
Everybody Should Work Long Hours For Several Years<\/h2>\n
Conquer The Morning<\/h2>\n
Missing Opportunities Due to a Lack of Effort Is a Shame<\/h2>\n
You Don\u2019t Have to Hustle Hard Forever<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Competition Is Now Global <\/h2>\n
Subscribe To Financial Samurai\u00a0<\/h2>\n
![\"Millionaire](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/financialsamurai.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/mm-top-new-release.png\")
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