harder is ALWAYS better

When I studied in secondary school at Battambang (one of provinces in Cambodia), I learned one thing about this world. I thought that this world is not fair for human-being because there are some people are smart and clever, but some are not. We say someone is intelligent, it means the person is having the ability to comprehend, understand, and profit from experience. The opposition of intelligence is stupidity. So, if we say someone is stupid, it means s/he has the poor ability to understand or to profit from experience.

Optimistically, when we talk about it, there will be a lot of more different types of intelligent people in this world. I found that from some of my bosses. One of my bosses can think of something very quickly. He is like a think-tank to me. Another one has a very great potential to get into somebody’s minds and tell his subordinates to keep doing more and more for success. And one another can make a very accurate decision and can also look at the personal characteristics of a person so that he can offer one best-fitted job to that person. I really love the ways they are working and I always dream to be one of them some days in the near future. These people that I described above are all smart and clever. But one thing that they never forget is “working hard.”

My CEO told me one time that “to be a real manager, you must work at least 8 hours per day.” Remember, it is “at least” 8 hours per day. You know, I felt really bad about this phrase because my working duration is only 8 hours per day (maximum), so there was no way that I will work more than that maximum hours. But just now I realize about what he was trying to say at that moment. He just wants us to work harder and harder because as long as we work harder, we will always find something new for ourselves at every extra hour that we sit and work. Of course, it is very, very TRUE!

You know, everyone was born with nothing. "All are the same!" Again, I always say (this is my principle) that “we cannot compare the intellectuality of humanity.” You can admire someone when s/he is smart and clever in doing something. But you never know whether this person that you are admiring, is good in some other things or not. So, if I were you, I would say it does not make any sense to admire someone with "one good thing" that s/he has done. On the other hand, I will encourage and impress a person when s/he has not done anything good, but s/he does NOT give up. I believe that if people never give up, they will work harder to get it. And when they work harder, they will get better as what they want.

There is nothing that we cannot do in this world even though we are not intelligent, smart or clever. But you must ensure yourself that you will work hard enough to get what you do really want. But please kindly remember that working hard is never “enough.” :)

Working hard is something we can see; working hard is something we can know when we are doing it; working hard is something we can feel and touch when we urge to get our achievements; and working hard is something we can really do in order to make ourselves to be better for our short lives in this world.

Sochheka Ong

Phnom Penh, January 20, 2010 (edited on 25-Jan-10)

Thank you so much to all of my previous and current bosses