1. Work hard; play hard.

I often had to work later in the evenings and weekends than my friends and classmates in town, but then I also didn’t have a curfew; as long as my work got done, I could enjoy the evening. Not all “jobs” utilize a time clock, but rather align to completing the task or job at hand. So, complete the job, work hard and with purpose, but then enjoy the down time!

2. Work smarter and harder.

Just working smarter in itself doesn’t get you ahead; it will simply free up time. Many people are very intelligent, and many work their asses off, but the biggest multiplier you will ever find is someone who does both.

3. Listen and learn; and never stop learning.

You are not the expert in almost everything. You can be more efficient and grow much faster utilizing the expertise of others. Especially as a teenager, you always think you know best but those old fellers that have been doing this for 30-40 years. They have some pretty slick tricks to maximize productivity!

4. Everything has a price.

The price, however, isn’t always money; and everything has a priority. Especially everyone’s time. A great example is timeliness; everyone can run late now and again, but when you do, you are saying everyone else’s time is a lower priority than yours. You’re paying the price of their respect and their future prioritization of your time.

5. Accountability

You did not want my dad or uncle completing a job you were supposed to do! One of my biggest points of focus is things not falling through the cracks. It usually creates more work for others cleaning up after you or keeping track of your stuff.

6. You can’t please everyone.

With keeping #4 and #5 in mind, you don’t need everyone to agree with you and not everyone may like you. It’s human nature to want to belong, to be liked, respected and valued, but don’t let it be at the expense of your integrity and happiness.

7. Try to never burn a bridge.

That may be the bridge you need later to get to where you are going.

8. Try before you buy.

My parents supported us kids returning to the farm. But first, we needed to go out, get a degree, and our first career job. After that, it was our choice. Even as Carla, my business partner, and I started the Razor companies, we first worked together on a couple part time projects to ensure we meshed well.

9. Learn personal responsibility.

Bad things happen; it’s your job to overcome them. I was always wrecking stuff on the farm, but the need for completing the task at hand didn’t go away. With that, be empowered to try whatever you want to do, attempt to be the best at it, but be prepared for the consequences.

10. No one is on their deathbed wishing they spent more time at work.

This circles back to the very first point I highlighted. Although it goes well beyond a first job ‘lesson’, it is something I learned early on. Nowadays,
I truly love what I do day-to-day, and I put in long hours; but I also know that at the end of the journey, if I regret the time I missed with my family, friends and life outside of work; then……