The quote above is from Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson is one of my favorite historical leaders. In fact, I feel so close to him, I’ve given him a nickname – TJ.
TJ was no slacker. He was a hard worker who accomplished quite a bit in his lifetime. Just five of TJ’s many significant accomplishments include:
- being the principle author of the Declaration of Independence, an amazing document that was created in just 17 days.
- serving as the first U.S. Secretary of State (1790-1793).
- serving as the third President of the United States (1801-1809).
- doubling the size of the United States while President of the United States; this feat was achieved by orchestrating the greatest land deal ever – the Louisiana Purchase.
- founding the University of Virginia in 1819.
This short list shows the magnitude of TJ’s impact, his life-long devotion to hard work, and the good luck he managed to have along the way. It’s a great reminder that hard work always seems to come before luck and not the other way around.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day.