There is no substitute for hard work and sacrifice – A Father’s Day Tribute

So I am huge fan of the motivational youtube video that has Eric Thomas talking about what it takes to be successful (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzi3fHUEB1A&feature=related), he talks about the idea that you have to want to succeed more than you want to breath, more than you want to sleep, certainly more than you want to party with your friends or watch some TV. This relentless pursuit of a goal is something that all successful people have, it’s a trait that I myself try to replicate and have seen through examples of others that when you decide to work harder than others can even dream of, you will be successful. They say the most successful people in this world are constantly knocking at the door of exhaustion, I believe that whole hearty.

Yet on the other side there are a lot of articles that are published in the business world that stress the importance of a balanced life, that working 40 hours a week is the most efficient amount of time you should be working, or that you need to have at least 8 hours of sleep a night or else you can’t produce good work. In my opinion, all of that stuff is complete baloney bullshit. Listen, Michael Jordan didn’t have a balanced life because he devoted all of his life to practicing his craft, Tiger Woods, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, all of them excelled to levels of unimaginable success because they didn’t listen to anybody telling them they shouldn’t work as hard. And of course there is my personal example, my father, Weimo Zhu whom is a Kinesiology professor at the University of Illinois and a partner in a number of businesses.

For those of you that know me, know that I carry my family name “Zhu “with a lot of pride and responsibility. My family, are direct descendants of the Chinese emperor Zhu Yuan Zhang of the Ming Dynasty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongwu_Emperor) , and like many Chinese families, we take legacy very seriously. The story of Zhu Yuan Zhang is an amazing story, from a peasant, to a beggar, to emperor of China. And in some ways, the legacy that my father has currently left and is continuing to leave is an unbelievable story in itself, and is one that reminds me that anything can be achieved.

My father, Weimo Zhu was born in Nanjing, China during the Cultural Revolution with three brothers. He grew up poor, always hungry, and forced to work in a factory at an early age. He was fortunate enough to be young enough to get an education when China opened up schools again. That is where he excelled not only as a basketball player for the Jiang Su Province, but also was a stellar student. I can guarantee you one thing, when I tell me kids about my days in school, I’m probably going to lie. Yet my father to be invited to get his PHD at the University of Wisconsin in 1986 when China wasn’t even on the grid, assures me that I know his stories are true and he worked his butt off to get there.

So if you need the definition of a hard worker, you just need to look at my father. He wakes up at maybe 5-6 every morning and works until he sleeps at maybe 1 or 2 in the morning. He has done this every single day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for as long as I can remember. And well, the rest is history; my father has been a living example of how hard work can help someone achieve a level of success that many never dream of. He is one of the most renowned Kinesiology professors in the world, having served on the Presidents Council, the creator and specialist of Kinesmetrics, and currently partnered in 3 businesses. All of this to provide his family with the opportunities we have today. Frankly, I believe if he had the opportunities I was born with, he would be the next Steve Jobs of physical fitness, and frankly, still very well could be.

What where am I going with all this and what are the lessons to take away from all of this:

• First, is to know what you want, know your goals, and know what it takes to sacrifice to get what you want. You can’t have everything in this world, be disciplined enough to set a goal, and be willing to sacrifice everything to get there.
• Next is to think outside the box. My father doesn’t do things like every other professor or every other businessman; he is constantly pushing the envelope on how to be different and innovative. But you should always remember that working smart or innovative doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work any less hard, it just means that by working smart the hard work you put in is producing far greater results than if you weren’t.
• Lastly, love what you do. My father loves what he does and has a lot of fun doing it. Understand that success is always hardest to achieve at first. It takes the most sacrifice, the most blood, and the most sweat and tears to climb that first peak. But after that is when the wonder of “flow” occurs, the tranquility that makes time stop and everything you do at ease. Achieve that first level, and you will have your flow.

My closing remarks are to my father. “I love you dad, thank you for being the example that you are. I am so far from achieving anything that I call success, but nothing makes me happier in life than to work my heart out every single day to make you proud. “

Love,

Your Son