Why do hard things?

A continuation of our recent discussion on purpose.

When I was a kid, one of the great joys in life was going to the Farm & Fleet store. Sure, the store was always interesting, but the real treat was that afterwards, we'd go next door and get a big root beer, ice cream, and a hot dog at the drive-in.

Many years later, one of the first things I did in my capacity as City Attorney in that same City was to seek a Court Order for the demolition of that very drive-in. As the photo above shows, it was a successful effort. It wasn't a fun prospect, seeking the demolition of somewhere I had such fond memories of...and it wasn't fun working in a role where I was the first attorney in recent memory to actively pursue cases against property owners who failed to maintain their buildings. The root beer stand was literally falling down when I went after it, and the mandate was clear: fix it or tear it down. The owner tore it down.

There were a lot of fights like that, in that job. There were many longstanding property owners who had gotten complacent with building maintenance and lax code enforcement; when I started following the law (and suggesting updates to the law), it was not a great way to make friends with the established political class. As one mayor said at one point, my success in getting property owners to fix up and maintain their properties (or face demolition) was something of a lightning rod.

I could've ignored the problem. The attorneys who had the role before me had successfully ignored the dilapidated and collapsing buildings for years before. Turning a blind eye was a tried and true approach. Yes, people had been hurt in the collapsing buildings, and yes they were a true blight on the community, but ignoring the problem was something of a tradition.

I didn't ignore it. I worked to build a code enforcement team, to train them on the law, to support them, and to advocate for them (and the public interest) in Court.

In that same job, I did roll call training for the Police Department, several times a year. I developed the training on my own time. Each time I provided a training, I'd come in way early and stay way late several days, to make sure that I provided the training to every officer on every shift. Similarly, several times a year I would go out on ride-alongs on the busiest shifts (weekend overnights), to see the kind of issues that officers were dealing with. I wasn't paid to do the trainings or ride-alongs, and I certainly wasn't obligated to. It was long hours, and it was hard work.

I can give a lot of examples from that job and others of times when I've done things in my job that were hard--and in many instances things that I probably could've avoided doing. Instead of doing a roll call training on Tuesday morning at 4am, or instead of doing a ride-along on Saturday morning at 2am, I could've been at home in bed. Instead of holding the biggest property owner in the City accountable for code violations and unsafe conditions, I could've done what my predecessors did and turn a blind eye. Note here: I wasn't being paid hourly; I truly was taking on significant volumes of additional work without a personal or financial benefit.

So why did I choose to do the hard things?

There wasn't some "eureka" moment where I made a choice to take on the bully landlords in the community, or where I suddenly realized that the police needed more training and resources. There were a series of little decisions made over time, which collectively caused the much larger end results. And in each instance, looking back on it, I was trying to do the right thing. I didn't have a personal interest in building codes, but I became an expert in them because the community needed one, and it was the right thing to do. I started developing and providing roll call trainings because the law was rapidly evolving, and the officers needed information. I took on challenges because the work needed to be done--because it was the right thing to do.

It's been the case in every job I've had--I do the hard things because they need to be done...because it's the right thing to do. It's part of where I find my purpose.

When I was talking about the prospect of winning the Mega-Millions recently, I pondered a circumstance where we could live with money as no concern: what would you do if you didn't have to earn a living. For some, the question would be focused only on fulfilling the pleasures they enjoy. For me, I think there's some component of wanting to do good in the world. Part of my purpose is trying to do the right thing. It doesn't mean that I have to be in love with the topic I'm working on (I have no deep, personal affinity for demolishing buildings), as long as the hard work I'm putting in is driving towards a positive, tangible result.

My dad was walking in the state park near his house last week, and came across some park employees. Being chatty as he usually is, my dad struck up a conversation with them. When he introduced himself and said his name was Ron Frieders, one of the ladies asked if he knew who Dean Frieders was. He laughed, and explained that he was my dad.

Long story short, she's the wife of one of the police officers that I used to work with. She remembered me and remembered my name because of the good things her husband said about me and my work--because he said I was working to do the right things, even when they were hard. Just the mention of the last name was enough to trigger that memory in her, and it prompted her to tell my dad about the good things I had done that benefitted the community and her husband.

When I think about my purpose, it doesn't get much more fulfilling than that.

What are the hard things that you do? Why do you do them? How do they influence or relate to your purpose?

Recent Articles in the Purpose Series:

What’s My Purpose?

War and Peace

If I Won the Mega-Millions

Why Do Hard Things?

Am I a Bridge or a Roadblock?

Am I Growing?

What Would _________ Think?

Make Things Better