021: Thomas Edison – Hard work is missed by most

“Hard work is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like hard work” – Thomas Edison

This was drawn by A. Kelly. Check out his work at his blog.

This comic’s quote comes from Thomas Edison, who I believe needs no introduction. Despite all the bad reputation Edison has been getting lately from the Edison VS Tesla debate, nobody can deny that Edison was great in his own right. As both a businessman and an inventor, we have Edison to thank for electric light, commercial X-ray machines, the movies, and a whole host of other technologies.

In my opinion, Edison was a rare breed, he knew how to tinker with machines, and he also knew business and knew how to sell said machines and make deals. In modern times, this would be the equivalent of a start-up’s technical founder who can build apps and sell them too. In the past, as it is with the present, the builder of the product and the seller of the product are two different people. What’s more, Edison was also good at delegating, another essential business skill. Not all his patents came from Edison himself, and with the smarts of the whole group, he got more innovation out of it than if he tried to do it all by himself. I guess all-rounded entrepreneurs don’t get better than Edison.

About what he said in the quote, I strongly believe this. You can talk about working smart all you want, but there is absolutely no replacement for hard work. Someone has to do the hard work, if not you, then delegate. If not, good opportunities are going to keep slipping by.

Do you think it’s possible to delegate all of the hard work placed upon you? Or are there some bits you still have to do yourself? Let me know in the comments below.