Management / Success / Motivation
Management / Success / MotivationWaitley's Law
Success often lies in doing what others avoid.
Popularity
Usefulness
Aliases
Waitley's rule / do-what-others-won't principle
Domains
Management, success, motivation, personal development
Definition
- Waitley's Law holds that successful people do the work that most people are unwilling to do — willingness to take on the hard, unglamorous tasks sets achievers apart.
Core Idea
- Success often lies in doing what others avoid.
- The hard or unpopular work is where advantage hides.
- Willingness, not just ability, distinguishes high achievers.
How It Works
- Most people gravitate toward easy, comfortable tasks.
- The difficult work others shun is therefore less contested and more rewarding.
- Those who embrace it accumulate results and advantage that the comfortable miss.
Usage Example
- A salesperson who makes the difficult follow-up calls others avoid closes deals their peers leave on the table, steadily outperforming them.
Famous Example
- Example: Attributed to American motivational author and management writer Denis Waitley.
- Why it fits this rule: It states the "do what others won't" success principle directly.
- Verification status: Consistent with Denis Waitley's motivational teaching; the precise "law" wording is a popular distillation.
Use Cases / Situations Where It Applies
- Personal achievement and motivation.
- Career and sales success.
- Building competitive advantage through effort.
When Not to Use or Common Misuse
- Do not equate mere hardship with productive work; choose hard work that matters.
- Do not glorify overwork to the point of burnout.
- Do not ignore that smart strategy still beats brute effort alone.
Rule Invention / Origin
- Invented by: Attributed to Denis Waitley, American motivational writer.
- Year of invention: Late 20th century.
- Country / context of origin: United States.
Evidence / Research Basis
- A motivational principle; consistent with research on grit, effort, and achievement.