The last to quit, the first to buy the beer

Those who know me know that I am fairly obsessed with country music.  Perhaps that is why it surprised me when a song recorded nearly twenty years ago has recently become my mantra.  For the first time, I recently heard Chris LeDoux’s song, “You just can’t see him from the road.”  The song contains a powerful lyric which sums up my goals quite concisely.  I will get back to that in a bit.

I am not a big fan of listening to people talk about their New Year’s resolutions.  This isn’t because I don’t like setting goals; in fact, I am a huge proponent of goal setting.  My distaste for New Year’s resolutions is because they are generally self-centered.  I browsed the internet looking at common New Year’s resolutions.  The resolutions generally focused on five areas.

The number one resolution is losing weight, accomplished by exercising more and eating better.  The second resolution is quitting an addiction, either smoking or drinking.  The third resolution is related to getting one’s affairs in order, either financially or through better organization of physical possessions.  The fourth resolution is related to improving one’s career, either by completing more education or finding a better job.  The fifth resolution is about other forms of personal happiness, such as learning a new hobby, spending more time with family, or reducing stress and simply enjoying life more.

Have I listed your top few resolutions yet?  For most of you, I imagine the answer is yes.  There is a sixth resolution that makes some lists.  But first, back to Chris LeDoux’s song.

His song discussed the life of a real cowboy.  This real cowboy rides around the perimeter of a ranch, checking the fences for damage or for trapped animals.  The song says that the cowboy is short on cash, but that he is the “Last to quit, the first to buy the beer.”

What do those lyrics mean, “The last to quit, the first to buy the beer”?  To sum it up, I would say that the lyrics mean that the cowboy worked hard and was generous.  Think of where society would be if people worked harder and were more generous.  Think of where your life would be if you worked harder and were more generous.  If you are reading this from your own computer, you are among the estimated 5% of the world’s population that owns a computer.  I would argue that you have the potential, despite certain obstacles, to work hard and be generous.

The thing is, if you make your primary resolution for 2012 to work hard and be generous, your other goals can, and often will, fall into place.

Working hard takes energy, so you’ll need to get disciplined to improving your physical health.  You’ll know that you need to exercise regularly and eat right, because if you don’t, you won’t be able to work hard.  And without being able to work hard, you won’t have as many resources with which to be generous.

Working hard and being generous are difficult if you have addictions.  Just how hard can you work with a wicked hangover, or if you are taking several smoke breaks every day?  Just how generous can you be if you are spending hundreds of dollars each month on bar tabs or cigarettes?  If you commit to working hard and being generous, you may find that it is easier to either control your addictions, either on your own or with the help of others.

Working hard and being generous are difficult if your affairs are not in order.  If you don’t have money, you can’t be financially generous.  For you, the top way to get your affairs in order just may be to quit buying clothes, toys, and household items you don’t need.  Benefits are that you don’t have to spend money paying for that stuff, time fixing/maintaining that stuff, or energy organizing that stuff.  If you commit to working hard and being generous, you will find a reduced desire to acquire things you really don’t need.

Working hard and being generous usually requires that you have a job, and that you continually improve at your job.  People without jobs can be generous with their time, but don’t have resources to be financially generous.  So, if you have committed to working hard and being generous and you don’t have a job, you will find yourself doing two things: trying hard to find a job, and being generous with your time.  If you have a job, you will find yourself doing two things: being generous with your current resources and working harder at your job so that you can advance more, earn more, and become even more generous.

Working hard and being generous also requires a sufficient amount of personal happiness.  It is tough to focus on working hard when your relationships are in disarray, or when you have overscheduled yourself to the point where you have no time to relax.  You may find that you need to mend a relationship so that you may free up mental energy to work hard and be generous.  You may find that you need to find a hobby which reduces, instead of increases, your stress.  You may find that you need to carve out eliminate time spent in front of the television and computer so that you have more time for your family.

Maybe 2012 is the year where you are going to work harder and become more generous with your time and money.  When you exercise and eat better, you won’t be doing so selfishly, but you’ll be doing so that you have more energy at work and when helping others. 

When you eliminate or better control an addiction, you won’t be doing so that you can buy more toys for yourself, you’ll be doing so that you have more resources to help others. 

When you quit buying things you don’t need and work hard to pay down your debt, you’ll be doing so that you can be more generous for others.  When you organize your house, you’ll be doing so that your mind can be freed up from clutter, enabling you to work harder and have more energy to be generous to others.

When you decide to go back to school, look for a better job, or work harder at your current job, you are doing so that you can earn more money and be more generous. 

When you are intentional about finding a hobby that fills you up, spending time with your family, and taking time to reduce your stress, you are doing so that you can be more efficient at work and more generous to others.

So, maybe 2012 is the year you resolve to work hard and be generous.  Maybe this is the year you decide to be the last one to quit, the first to buy the beer.  I tell you what, if you spend 2012 working hard and being generous, and at the end of the year you regret it, call me up, and I’ll buy you a beer.