For me, it’s the getting there. It’s the competition, the problem-solving. It’s being right when no one thought you were right and winning when the stakes are high. Even after I had more money than I could spend, I went on working forty to sixty hours a week. I still wanted to succeed at business, not for the increased buying power that success would earn me, but for the pleasure of making a business succeed.

My mother didn't tell their story all at once. There were many different parts and versions, and they would come out while she was cleaning the house or painting, home all day with us kids and thirsty for someone to talk to. I can picture her with her sleeves rolled and her hair tied up in a scarf—she reminded me of the wartime poster of Rosie the Riveter, with the slogan "We Can Do It!" Like my father, she was a person resigned to adversity, but she could not talk about her family history without emotion. Sometime after the party, it was discovered that the new bull was diseased. It might have had tuberculosis or hoof-and-mouth, a deadly infection that could spread through a community and ruin all the farmers around. This was before science understood the transmission of the disease, so to make sure it would not pass beyond my grandfather's farm, his entire herd had to be destroyed. Once the vet made his diagnosis, my grandfather had no more say in the matter. The state sent men to dig an enormous hole, drive the animals in, slaughter them all, and fill the hole with dirt. Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn't it? If you're comfortable while you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong."

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I could claim that at that moment it all became clear. “That’s what I want someday! And I want my kids to have that too.” I could say that this vision inspired me for all I achieved later. It would make a great story, but the truth is that with all the money I earned later on, I never bought myself a convertible. My son Todd eventually gave me one, a Mercedes 280 SL, a beautiful classic car. He said, “You’re never going to buy it for yourself, so I bought it for you.” I enjoyed that he bought it for me, and I enjoyed driving it, but did I drive it to the beach like I imagined that morning in the factory? Never. I’ve been to the beach once or twice, but the truth is that to me, things like cars and seaside vacations are pleasant, fun now and then, but not deeply satisfying. Guys have underestimated me my entire life. And for years, I never understood why. It used to really bother me. But then one day, I was driving my little boy to school, and I saw this quote by Walt Whitman, and it was painted on the wall there. It said, 'Be curious, not judgmental.' I like that."

Innovation: Hard work fuels innovation. The effort you put into researching, understanding your market, and developing solutions to meet your customers’ needs can lead to novel ideas and products. Additionally, a strong work ethic often involves constantly seeking better ways to do things, pushing you towards innovation. Suppose you are a house builder. You cannot build a house without first acquiring the land, getting the necessary permits, and assembling a team of workers. Once you have taken these steps, you can begin construction. But if you do not take action, your dream of owning a home will never become a reality. As the saying goes: Don’t Wish for it. Work for it. In the world of entrepreneurship and startups, hard work is not just important — it’s essential. It’s the fuel that drives your business forward, transforming ideas into tangible products or services. Let’s explore why hard work holds such paramount importance in the journey of a startup or entrepreneur: Senior year, though, they needed a fifth man for the school basketball team, and I had gotten tall. I quit my job and joined the team, but I was never a good athlete. There was only one guy bigger than me, but I was not a good basketball player, and I didn’t really care for it. I never seemed to have that physical gift that athletic kids have. One summer, I tried to work for my dad as a carpenter’s apprentice, but I was no good at it. He fired me. GPGD] 2002 October, Golf Digest, My Shot: Gary Player: Interviewed By Guy Yocom, Conde Nast. (Online archive of Golf Digest) linkIn 1981 in a letter to Sports Illustrated the golfer Hubie Green is credited with the saying [HGSI]: Ten years ago, John and Andrea sold their successful business and moved to a small beach community. They rented for a year while their new home was being built, during which time they spent most of their time overseeing the construction, getting to know the community as full time residents, not as visitors, and involving themselves in local activities. John became active with the country club and Andrea became a volunteer firefighter. After the house was completed, the both felt they needed more to do so John got his real estate license and joined a brokerage. Andrea began painting. Fast forward six years, when they felt what they were doing still wasn't satisfying enough so they bought a restaurant from a local who wanted to retire. Of course, I know it would be work, work, work, but this work would be an adventure. There was no class you could take to explain how to succeed as a broker in the new age of negotiated commissions. No one to tell us what to do. We had to get out there with our brains and our strength and make it succeed. We were the first beaver trappers in an unknown river valley. In my heart, I believed,

HGSI] 1981 January 26, Sports Illustrated, “19th Hole: The Readers Take Over” edited by Gary Flood, Time Inc. (SIVault) link As I’ve said often, most of what happens in our lives is not a surprise. Yes, we can fall ill, get injured, or win the lottery. But most of the time we can see what’s up ahead. You can be fairly certain that when your parents get older, one or both of them is going to need care, either at home or in a facility designed to provide the needed care. No surprise there, unless you’ve closed your eyes. As your children grow up and talk about going to college, you can be fairly certain you’re going to experience an empty nest. No surprise there either. Risk-Taking: Entrepreneurs need to take calculated risks to reap significant rewards. While it’s essential to be cautious, avoiding risks entirely can mean missed opportunities.

Step 2: Persevere by continuing to move through failures

I already had many dreams I wanted to fulfil, and I realised my big dream when I found that next job which was in retail at the ripe old age of 18.I found something I was truly passionate about, something that made me bounce out of bed in the morning. One Sunday morning, after I’d been working all night on the production line, the sun was coming up, ushering in a bright, beautiful day. We didn’t have any windows we could see out of, but there were windows near the ceiling. Later, I climbed up on some of the huge pans to look out, and I could see young people in convertibles going on picnics or to the beach. They were having a nice, leisurely day. I thought, Boy, you know, that looks fun. I want to make enough money so I don’t have to work on Sunday and I can go to the beach too. I felt what it would be like to get out of that factory and make sure I could have a good job, a house in a nice neighborhood, a car, and some leisure time.

Quote Investigator: Gary Player is a very fine golfer, but he is not responsible for this well-known maxim. The best evidence that he did not coin the adage is in a book written by Player himself in 1962 where he credits the aphorism to fellow golfer Jerry Barber. Before discussing that book QI will review support for Player and some other claimants to the phrase. The earliest instance of the expression found by QI that uses the word “practice” is not from a golfer. It appears in a memoir published in 1961 by a soldier of fortune during the Cuban revolution.Opportunities come to those who are prepared for them: When you put in the work to improve your skills and knowledge, you become more attractive to potential employers and more likely to seize opportunities when they arise. That was what he wanted me to understand: the effect this tool could have on their work and their lives. In that sense, he had an innovator’s eye, not because he had invented the buzz saw but because he saw the possible benefit in it. I did not need to know the concept of productivity or the term early adopter. I could hear the meaning in my father’s voice and see it in the men’s smiling, sawdust-covered faces.