BE NO Strength Motivation

A Grandfather’s Legacy

My Grandfather was the hardest working man I have ever known…actually, of all those that were lucky enough to know him, he was the hardest working man that anyone ever knew! He lived to work, and worked to live. Whether it was working for one of the many small businesses he created, or working around the house on his days off, my grandfather was ALWAYS working.

“Accomplishments don’t come to those on a break,

they come to those who put in the work.”

He had incredible work ethic, and it was important to him that we all learned that from him. Even from a young age, when my brothers and I would go over to his house, while our parents were at work, he would have us join him on all his projects. In his mind, there was always something to work on, and if not, he would create something to work on. Sometimes it was driving a tractor around the property gathering rocks we could barely lift, so we could build a rock wall. Sometimes it was wash the motorhome, or as my mom often joked about her childhood; reproofing the house before my grandma got home from work. And this was all before any of us were 10 years old. No matter what we were doing, we worked hard at it. Whether it was in the sports we played, or the jobs we did, my brothers and I all learned early on that 100% effort was the minimum requirement, and it has not failed us yet. Accomplishments don’t come to those on a break, they come to those who put in the work.

“The fact that we were 2, 7, 8 and 9 didn’t matter.

We worked hard, all the same.”

My grandfather owned a successful business for over thirty years, but he always found the time to create and build several different side businesses as well. Family, being the most important thing to him, he always included the whole family in whatever new business he was working at. One of his side jobs was renting motorhomes. This often meant we would clean them and deliver them to local camp grounds with my dad and grandpa. The fact that we were 2, 7, 8 and 9 didn’t matter. We worked hard, all the same.

The other thing my grandpa was known in our family for, was giving us all nick names, (Treelore, Tan da’ Man, Jakes n’ Joe, Bills n’ Bob, etc.) but it was during this motorhome rental business that he earned his nick name…

“If you were to ask for a break he would respond with,

‘There will BE NO breaks.’”

The thing with working with my grandpa meant you were working. You weren’t eating or drinking or playing, you were getting the job done, until it was done. If you were to ask for a break he would respond with, “There will BE NO breaks.” If you wanted to eat before the job was done, he would say, “There will BE NO food until we are done.” If we wanted to stop on our travel route he would say, “There will BE NO stopping.” If you wanted to go to the bathroom, he would say, “There will BE NO piddling until we are done.” Of course, he was joking…we think…but there would still BE NO nothing, until the work was done.

One day, while we were working my dad started calling my grandpa BE NO. At first he didn’t know what my dad was talking about. None of us did, but once we figured it out, it quickly stuck. When you work with grandpa there will BE NO breaks, there will BE NO rest, there will BE NO eating, there will BE NO drinking, there will BE NOthing, but working.

My grandpa passed away several years ago, but his nick name BE NO, and more importantly his work ethic, will always live on to those that knew him. There will BE NO breaks, BE NO rest, BE NO stopping us until we reach our goals, BE NO excuses and BE NO limit to what we can do.