Most of us must engage in some form of gainful employment to earn a living. To help ease the pain, we search for wisdom to help us through the burden. Reflect on two famous quotes:

(1) “Nothing is work, unless you would rather be doing something else,” attributed to George Halas (1895-1983), football player, coach and owner of the Chicago Bears; but another similar quote: “Nothing is really work, unless you would rather be doing something else,” is attributed to a British playwright, James Barrie (1890-1937.)  I will pass over who plagiarized whom, but I prefer the Halas quote because it omits an unnecessary adverb, thus adding greater power to the message.

(2) “Nothing will work, unless you do,” attributed to Maja Angelo (1928-2014), a catchy directive to live by.

As one reflects on those quotes, we are reminded of other adages, like: “put a shoulder to the wheel”, “keep their nose to the grindstone” and “focus on the task at hand.” Their simplicity overlies a deep philosophical meaning, related to dedication, passion, and focus. At difficult moments, reflecting on them can motivate a person to focus on what needs to be done and to resolve not to do anything else until you complete it.

But, enough about work! Lets consider the obverse: “The joy of doing nothing”, the author’s panacea for taking a much needed break from too much work. Certainly, taking a break in work: to relax, to refresh and to reflect, merits contemplation. Enjoying a moment of pure leisure, or deep meditation, provides needed balance. Of course, one cannot expect perfect balance; i.e., 50% work; 50% leisure, but a modicum of leisure will reward a plenitude of work.

In addition to doing nothing, known in the vernacular as “chilling out,” we all know some “workers,” who strive to do anything other than work, like playing games on office computers, holding meetings with little purpose, conversing socially with friends over company telephones, and on it goes. To be sure, these folks fall between the leisure/work balance, and reject the “Nothing is/will work . . .” directives. Unfortunately, without a paycheck, they cannot afford to engage in their “rather be doing something else” reverie, and ultimately come full circle to accept, “Nothing will work, unless you do.”

The well-known proverb: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise,” has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin and recorded in his famous work: “Poor Richard’s Almanack” (1732), a collection of aphorisms and proverbs. Of course, Poor Richard’s Almanack rightly proclaimed them to be a collection from other sources, including public lore, and perhaps other authors. In Franklin’s time, early to bed must have been commonplace. When the sun passed over the horizon, the environs became dark, perhaps with some faint illumination from a flickering candle light or a full moon. In modern times, the proverb seems to evolve around one’s station in life. I recall passing through four stages:

Stage one: As a young child, I lived that old adage, but not by choice. To be sure, my parents urged we kids to keep an early bedtime, hoping perhaps that it would guide us onto the worthy path to achieve health, wealth, and wisdom; but more likely they used it as a ruse to achieve early bedtime, so they could enjoy a quiet evening free from bothersome children. Every parent strives for young children follow the first part with ardent hope that they will achieve the payoff.

Stage two: In my teens and early adulthood, however, I did have a choice, and opted to adjust that time-honored adage to: “Late to bed, late to rise, makes a person grumpy, hungry and one of the guys.” My age cohort had no need to worry about health, wealth and wisdom. Fun, friends and camaraderie took priority. indeed, sowing ones wild oats remains an important and necessary stage to prepare for a life of work — but not too soon.

Stage three: After college graduation, and facing a lifelong career, the adage returned nearly to its original form, as “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person, ready, worthy and wide eyed,” ideally more focused on work ethic and advancement than health, but became another necessary stage to master. One could not hope for success without adopting a strong work ethic, which required sufficient sleep.

Stage four: As my career wound down into retirement, “Early to bed” remained, but the “early to rise” faded into a more relaxed sense of when to rise. After all, a retiree, may arise whenever he wishes — because he can. With each passing year, a senior requires more sleep to restore enough energy to meet the day’s demands than they required in their youth. The aphorism amends to: “Early to bed, hopeful to rise, makes a person achy, wrinkly but alive.”