LATIN MAXIMS PART 1 OF 3: PER ASPERA AD ASTRA

November 3, 2008 by dr. lam

Olympian Michael Phelps

After 4 years of Catholic high school and 4 years of Latin instruction, some of that knowledge will linger in my soul regardless if I want it to or not. I also taught Latin over the summers and still can remember my declensions and some conjugations (frightening huh?). I was thinking that some Latin maxims have really stuck with me over the years, and I thought I would share with you the 3 maxims that have the most meaning to me personally in today’s blog, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s. I have other blogs prepared for Tuesday and Thursday and you will see why on those days.

My absolute favorite Latin saying is “Per Aspera Ad Astra”. It simply means through hard work to the stars. I truly believe that with application of a rigorous work ethic that I have applied since childhood, you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams. If I want something, I don’t take no for an answer but plunge forward to get what I want. I think the work ethic in America has been steadily declining and we suffer from that lack of discipline. Interestingly, the next 2 maxims will touch upon this idea but from a different angle.

It is interesting that I have pursued my career with singular focus based on a deep-rooted passion. I work tirelessly in large part because I love what I do. I think there are two things that we should be careful with when we focus on “per aspera”, i.e., the hard work part. If we do not know where we are going, then hard work is for naught. We need to know what our short and long-range goals are for that hard work to have any merit. Put it another way, if we do not know where we are going, we do not know which direction we should travel in the first place.

Second, I had a leader of mine who came to me and said, “Sam, I have worked really hard. I have spent 10 hours doing this and 10 hours doing that.” I responded, “What was your result?” There was silence. When I talk to my staff, I am more interested in the “ad astra” and less in the “per aspera”. If it takes you 5 minutes to envision and execute a vision, that’s great. If it takes you 10 hours to try to do something but you consistently attain no results, then I am unimpressed. I am completely results oriented. That is where judgement and talent come into play. I really admire raw talent combined with a forceful work ethic. Work should not be just for work sake.

All that being said, I think when we want something badly and our goals are driven through a deep-seated passion and unbending vision then we can achieve it through tireless hard work: per aspera ad astra!

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