Can You Work For Free? 😬

"The people that are bad at something are the ones that do it because it’s their job."

He’s not saying, of course, that you shouldn’t get paid… but that WHY you do something plays a big role in how hard you work at it.

Do you do it because you love it?

Or because it’s your job?

This is something Napoleon Hill talked about as well in his principle of “going the extra mile”.

He said,

"Form the habit of going the extra mile, giving service that is not expected, for this attracts friends, clients, and supporters in many ways."

He even once suggested…

"I’m going to offer you a suggestion which may bring you such overwhelming success that you may not need to attend further visits with me. My suggestion is this: start tomorrow in whatever occupation you are engaged to render some form of useful service to someone near you which you are not expected to render, and for which you neither expect nor ask for compensation. And render this service with a pleasing mental attitude, which will show clearly that you enjoy doing it."

And if you look at the early days of many successful people, you’ll find this pattern…

Steve Jobs: Before founding Apple, Jobs worked at Atari as a technician, where he was known for his minimalist lifestyle and even slept on the floor in friends' rooms.

Oprah Winfrey: Before becoming a media mogul, Oprah worked at a local radio station during her high school years, where her pay was minimal.

Walt Disney: Disney started his career working as an unpaid intern at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio, where he created ads for newspapers, magazines, and movie theaters.

Mark Zuckerberg: While developing Facebook, Zuckerberg wasn't working for a salary. His early work on the platform was driven by passion and interest rather than monetary reward.

Jeff Bezos: In the early days of Amazon, Bezos and his employees worked in a modest garage, packing orders themselves.

They were so excited about what they were doing…

…they had such a definiteness of purpose…

That they were willing to work for free for years or even decades.

It sounds crazy — because of course we want to get paid for what we’re doing!

But if you love what you’re doing. If you’re passionate about it.

And if you really want to truly succeed.

Then over-deliver. Maybe even work for free. Become so passionate about it that it’s not about the money…

…and the funny thing is…

…money… will come to you.

- Russell Brunson