Jerry Seinfeld Is Worth $1.1 Billion. So Why Does He Still Work So (Darned) Hard?

“No soup for you!” “Yada, yada, yada.” “These pretzels are making me thirsty.” “Not that there's anything wrong with that.” “The sea was angry that day, my friends.” Seinfeld’s groundbreaking sitcom is still iconic and Jerry Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David are two of the most influential comic entertainers of all time. The experience of being literally on top of the entertainment world while heady, is also still incredibly lucrative and as a result Seinfeld is a three comma guy. So why do we still see him all over the place instead of just enjoying his riches? It’s part of the reason that drove him to success in the first place. Valuable lessons from Chairman Jerry.

FROM INC MAGAZINE / BY JEFF HADEN

For the same reason you should—no matter what your net worth—if you want to live a fulfilling life.

Imagine you created a TV series that, along with the income you’ve generated from standup tours, movies, and other projects, has made you worth a reported $1.1 billion.

Would you still tour? Would you still develop new projects? Would you still work hard?

Jerry Seinfeld would.

And does.

No matter how you define success (because success means something different to each of us), Seinfeld is remarkably successful. But like many people whose financial success is a byproduct of consistent focused effort, rather than the driver, he thinks his money and accolades are largely irrelevant.

“I like money,” Seinfeld says, “but it’s never been about the money.” Instead, it’s about the work.

“It’s similar to calligraphy or samurai,” he says. “I want to make cricket cages. You know those Japanese cricket cages? Tiny, with the doors? That’s it for me: solitude and precision, refining a tiny thing for the sake of it.”

And for the process of it. Seinfeld is famous for his joke-writing routine. Early on, he realized the only way to become a better comedian is to write better jokes, and the only way to write better jokes was to write every day. So he got a large wall calendar, hung it in his office, and every day he wrote a new joke marked a red “X” over the date.

As he told Brad Isaac, “After a few days, you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is to not break the chain.”

Seinfeld didn’t focus on getting rich, something he probably hoped to someday be. Or becoming a headlining comedian, something he burned to someday be. Or developing an iconic TV series. That wasn’t even on his radar.

He focused on doing the work. Day after day after day. Partly because that’s the only way to accomplish a huge goal, but also because that’s the only way to gain, and keep, the skills you need to accomplish that goal.

According toSeinfeld:

If I don’t do a (standup) set in two weeks, I feel it.

I read an article a few years ago that said when you practice a sport a lot, you literally become a broadband: The nerve pathway in your brain contains a lot more information. As soon as you stop practicing, the pathway begins shrinking back down. Reading that changed my life. I used to wonder, “Why am I doing these sets, getting on a stage? Don’t I know how to do this already?”

The answer is no. You must keep doing it. The broadband starts to narrow the moment you stop.

Bottom line? You can’t control other people. You can’t control timing. You can’t control luck. 

There are very few things you can totally control, except how hard, and consistently, you work.

So if your definition of success includes, at least in part, traditional measures like wealth and professional achievement, consistent effort is the great equalizer.

Want to become a better leader? Don’t just sit in your office and plan, and strategize, and manage upwards. Talk to the people who work for you, every day. Ask questions. Ask for their input. Ask for their ideas. Ask how you can make their jobs better. Don’t just think about the job. 

Do the job. Over time, your leadership broadband will expand. 

Want to become a better salesperson? Don’t just attend seminars, and read books, and ask other people for advice. Get out and sell. Talk to potential clients. Talk to current clients. Don’t just think about the job.

Do the job. Over time, your sales broadband will expand.

The same is true for any pursuit. Breakthroughs in skill come not from eureka moments, but from the accumulation of consistent, focused effort.

Which is an incredibly empowering thought — because while you may not be as educated, experienced, or connected as other people … you can always rely on effort and perseverance.

Effort always breeds skill and experience, especially if your effort is consistent.

Want to achieve a huge goal? Make consistent effort your competitive advantage. 

Because it’s the one thing you can always control.