Labor Day: The Timeless Value of Hard Work and Purpose

On Labor Day, we are reminded that effort pays off in spades! Some focus on labor unions, others on the 60 percent who work, a few just on the power of work. All are meaningful ways to celebrate work. Today, hard work seems in decline, non-working socialism on the rise, so a word on effort.

Officially, Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, when many wanted work and could not find it, just after the recession of 1893 – tied to railroads – and right before the recession of 1896.

Putting the historical origins of Labor Day aside, this day was founded on people’s desire to work, get paid well, work under safe conditions, and earn their way, not to get a free lunch.

Today, we have a culture of complaint, of people imagining things are free, that others will create jobs – even if harassed, that others will work, agree to have their earnings given to those who do not.

Bluntly, that was not what Labor Day was ever about. Labor meant work, and work meant purpose and opportunity, the agreed goal to have hard work, good pay, opportunity, and rewards for working.

Socialism, of course, is the opposite of this concept. It sheds responsibility, rejects work, and blames others for not having resources earned by those who risk, work, and don't quit.

The real questions might be: how does work pay off, and what is real work? How does one materially succeed? How do tenacity and effort relate to outcomes described as success?

Politics aside, the best answers come from successful, universally recognized hard workers. This is another reason American history is so valuable. We could visit their essays, books by and about them, testimonials to them, but their own words speak volumes. So, here are a few.

Booker T. Washington, a man who struggled against prejudice and poverty for opportunity, wrote on effort. “Nothing ever comes to one that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” His quest, like that of Martin Luther King, was for the chance to work, opportunity, not government benefits.

A worker known for inventiveness, industry, and tenacity – our textbook inventor and entrepreneur, Thomas Edison, had this bit of wit. Imagine a lightbulb over his head: “The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” In athletics, academics, or business, this is effort.

The man many credit with coaching the Western world to victory in WWII, Winston Churchill, wrote volumes on effort, hard work, not giving up, and the stamina needed to succeed. One of his simple truths: “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”

Harmonizing was the inspirational Dale Carnegie, who wrote: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” Even Confucius agreed: “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.”

One my long ago bosses, US House Speaker Newt Gigrich, observed – with plenty of late nights: “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tiered of doing the hard work you already did.”

Three last voices warrant hearing: one, Helen Keller, who reminds us nothing is impossible, and that work – labor in its truest sense – is the source of all growth. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

On a different continent, Louis Pasteur offered laconic counsel on work, the power of stick-to-itiveness. “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: My strength lies solely in my tenacity.”  Put succinctly, never give up, embrace work, and be grateful for it.

Maybe the best advice this Labor Day, an idea that should stick as we look forward, comes from an iconic figure who did not give up and worked ceaselessly. Mahatma Gandhi, who helped shape modern India, wrote: “It depends on what you do today.” It does, in spades. Happy Labor Day!