Wishing for snow days, or, Why you just need to work.

There’s an old episode of The Simpsons where Bart is at risk of having to repeat the fourth grade.

Naturally, it all hinges on whether he passes a single history test. He tries studying, but it never happens for one reason or another. It’s the night before the test, and Bart is desperate. He prays to God (fun fact, the only Simpsons character with five fingers) for a miracle, anything to get him more time.

And it happens. It snows. Bart buckles down, studies, and passes with something like a 51%.

This post isn’t a comment on praying or religion or how amazing The Simpsons is after 25 seasons. It’s about being so backed into a corner that any energy left over from worrying gets spent on coming up with elaborate scenarios by which you could get your work done, if only something were different.

I’ve wished for snow days, in London, in September. I’ve wished that I didn’t have to sleep, or that I could make copies of myself to be amazing at every aspect of life by specializing, or that I could have any number of other superpowers.

This is indicative of two things: the first is that I’m a little too into comics; the second is that I’m very good at distracting myself.

Now, saying that I spend a good amount of time wishing for weird powers is probably not the best thing to write in a blog that will inevitably be read by people thinking of hiring me. But ask yourself, are you so different? In what ways do you procrastinate? Do you imagine being smarter, taller, or faster? More intelligent?  More sociable? We all have the same problem; I just build an origin story around mine.

There’s nothing wrong with a little fantasizing. But I’ve discovered that the times I do it the most are the times I’m the farthest behind. My brain, and I think yours as well, just wants a way to not be stressed. You know who’s never stressed? Basically every superhero except Spider-Man.

The problem with looking for quick fixes is that we take energy away from the one solution we know will solve our problems: work. Work might not sound like a superpower, but sometimes it can seem to be. Plain and simple, if you’re stressed, ask yourself how much real work you’ve put into solving your problem, ask yourself if you can put in more, and sit down and do it.

It’s not glamorous, but the path of real heroes rarely is. Working hard is a power we all have, or rather can choose to have. Make the choice.

Just remember that with great power, comes great responsibility.

                                                                                                                                    

It’s Thanksgiving in Canada, so I wanted to thank all of you for reading. In typical Canadian fashion, but also because I screwed up, I wanted to apologize for not posting these past couple of weeks. If this post was any indication, business school has been hard, but I’m working to make sure it doesn’t stay that way. Thanks for sticking with me. C-Suite Dreams!

Editor’s note: If you have a topic idea, I’d love to hear from you! Suggestions can be made in the comments section or on Twitter @JeremyDeMello.