Do You Love THE WORK This Much?
“It’s 11:15 p.m. Most people are asleep and I’m just finishing my last exercise with my 30-pound vest. I sit on the bench to have some rest. I look at myself in the mirror. After a while, I ask myself a question: “Is it really still worth it?” Unfortunately, I don’t think I can answer this question. I really can’t. I keep thinking,
“You are alone, no family, you work like a horse, there is no one waiting for you at home.” This doesn’t sound too great, I think. But then another question pops up: “Then why do you keep doing it?” I know the answer to this question without hesitation. “Because I love it.”
-Jaromir Jagr (former NHL hockey player)
The quote above hit my facebook feed a few days ago. I noted who exactly Jagr is as I know hockey is not as widely knows as the other major sports. This quote just sat around in the back of my head for a few days.
I’d describe its effect on me as naggingly positive. Nagging because my mental picture of his work ethic combined with his joy of the sport — his work — sat with me and wouldn’t leave my psyche. And positive because well, it helped me realize that I am fortunate to love so much of what I do both professionally and personally. Trust me, I’m not writing this as a humble brag.
I decided to sit and write about this early this morning — a Sunday, the day after I ran my best half marathon since 2011 (OK, semi humble brag) — as I was thinking how much I love challenging myself. More importantly, it’s how much I love the work of so many things…
As a professional coach, the work of pouring into others to see them be the best version of themselves. As a fundraiser, the work of finding amazing people looking to change the world and providing opportunities for them to do so. And then with running, playing music and writing (my hobbies): The work of pouring into something that gives me joy for no other reason than because it does…The work of committing to goals. The work of achieving those goals and then thinking about the next one.
But back to Jagr. The reason I wanted to highlight this quote is because it speaks volumes about who Jaromir Jagr is. He is of course, legendary for his skill and the success he’s had with 9 different NHL teams. What’s amazing is that the quote above isn’t from his time with one of those teams. No, the quote was in my feed as he said this just a few days regarding his continual practice. At the age of 51, long after most players retire, he’s continued to play hockey with the Rytiri Kladno Knights, his hometown team in the Czech Republic. He owns the team and has been playing for the since he “retired” from the NHL in 2018. Obviously, it’s not for the money.
I can’t say that I’ve done a ton of research to bare out my argument here but Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby tend to be some of the first mentioned when most folks think of highly skilled hockey players. Not to say that Jagr isn’t respected and admired — in fact, this weekend they retired his number in Pittsburgh, his first NHL team. But with him, the conversation is about that insatiable work ethic; that consistent commitment to greatness that is so intertwined with his love of the game.
Whether you’re a fan of hockey or not, I share all this to raise this question for you and what you do? Are you this passionate and persistent about your work? Are you willing to do the hard work in the dark? (For more on that concept, I highly recommend Joshua Metcalf’s Win In The Dark) Bottom line:
Do You Love THE WORK This Much?
