In Tom Wolfe’s “Bonfire of the Vanities,” there is a scene where two cops reflect on what the difference between someone who’s “an okay guy” as opposed to “a piece a sh*t.” Turns out the key to being an okay guy is simple. As the cops agree, “He’s okay. He shows up for work.” That’s all. He just does what he’s supposed to do. He works. He supports himself and his family, and works his own way through the world. He does what he gotta do, and he does it okay. Those guys who don’t show up for work? All of ‘em. “Piece a sh*t.”

In “A message for Garcia,” Elbert Hubbard explains the same thing: Like Wolfe’s two cops, he points out that all you need to do to be exceptional in this world is “show up for work” and do a decent job (reminiscent of Newt Gingrich’s observation that 90% of success is just showing up….). Oh yeah, and stop whining and bitching while you’re at it. SImple. Show up. Get the job done. Don’t whine and complain. You’ll be an extraordinary success. And it’s true.

Scary, isn’t it?