True happiness is dirt under your fingernails.

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work"

Albert Einstein

So a few weeks ago I built a garden in my back yard! It was so awesome and I have a great pride and love for that little corner. That and a discussion with a fellow coworker helped me realize yet another awe-ha moment that brings me great joy! First I want to talk about the discussion with the coworker, I was just hanging out doing another task at work when she commented on what a hard worker I was. Sort of caught me off guard but I thanked her with the thought in my mind of how good it felt to have someone at work who I greatly respect give me such an amazing compliment!

This led to a good little discussion of hard work and how it seems to be dying more and more. Not only that but people always expect that they need to be rewarded right this second! They expect that they should be treated like royalty after doing one petty little job, they went to college they are better than that! Wrong, I believe that the petty small jobs are amazing opportunities to be able to watch the pros and learn. Not only that but it gives a chance to have a little humbling and real life experience. So many expect that with their education they should jump right into a CEO position, on the contrary we have to start at the very bottom in order to truly learn and to earn a higher position.

So how does my garden and this discussion mix? Well they both have one thing in common... Hard work! As I built this garden, and looked at this amazing compliment I realized how amazingly proud I am to know how to work hard! I honestly feel like my ability to work hard and get down and dirty is nothing short of a spiritual gift. I feel like it is a dying art and something that I have to continue to work on. I am so grateful for the parents that pushed me hard to feed that gift. Not only did they push me to work hard but they helped me to discover that hard work is enjoyable, there is nothing more rewarding then accomplishing something I have worked my butt off for.

Not only is hard work fun but it is so rewarding. I would rather work hard for something than having it given to me. I would not love all those belt buckles quite as much and I would not be where I am or who I am. Being able to taste the sweetness of earning something has given me an insight to our whole purpose on earth. I know with assurance that we are here to be tested and to learn and grow mortally and spiritually, all in order to return home to our Father in Heaven and later inherit the kingdom as his children. So why doesn't he just send us home? Well because he knows how much value it is if we earn it! He also knows the value of experience, we would be nothing without experience and we can't truly learn unless we have had experiences and hard work.

I have seen hard work as such a blessing. When I built my garden I was in a life rut. Being able to truly get down and dirty again brought my spirits up so high, it made me feel accomplished and purposeful. By the end of that day I was caked in mud, sweaty and had bug bites all over but I was truly happy. Just like working with cattle it centers and humbles with the greatest pride that one can experience. I am going to do my best to find things that make me work hard physically and spiritually all I have to say is bring it on! It will be worth it when I am finished!

Go now and work hard!