Getting Results like RBG
"I think that, generally in our society, real change, enduring change happens one step at a time."
— Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in her Supreme Court nomination hearing
After the news of the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I reflected on her legacy. The first thing that came to mind is that when someone is alive, it’s very easy to forget how legendary and pioneering they are, especially when they come in such a shy and humble package.
My second thought went to just how remarkable it is to have had a 61-year career in the same field and work productively until the age of 87.
I think those notions are related.
It’s hard to reach legendary status without working hard in the same space for a long time.
Ginsburg was 14 years into her career before arguing her first case before the Supreme Court. It was another 20 years before she was nominated to the Supreme Court. And then she had the same job for another 27 years.
Jim Collins’s 20 Mile March comes to mind. It’s not about quick wins; it’s about making steady, focused progress.
Devoting that much to one’s career is definitely harmful to one’s health...unless one has found their passion.
In the RBG documentary—I watched it on Hulu this weekend—there were many stories about how Ginsburg’s husband would have to remind her to come home for dinner and get some sleep. And her granddaughter said that she’d always go to her grandfather for treats because Bubbe was always working.
On his podcast, Worklife, Adam Grant discussed the negative health consequences of workaholism. “Nancy [Rothbard] finds that unhappy workaholics have higher risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”
But this is not the case for “engaged workaholics.”
Rothbard said engaged workaholics are “People who do feel compulsion and some guilt when they're not working but who also absolutely love their jobs. Who are engaged in it, who are passionate about it, who find meaning in their jobs. And so for those folks who have both those kind of workaholic tendencies but also love their jobs, they're buffered from the negative risk of workaholics.”
Moreover, it’s even harder on one’s health to be a pioneer.
Those who operate in environments in which they are subject to slights or even overt racism and sexism experience stress because of it. And being a pioneer requires that exposure.
So it’s not surprising that Ginsburg’s second chambers were the gym.
I think I’ve seen more clips on TV over the last few years of her working out than talking about her decisions.
Of course, I haven’t seen her medical records, but it’s hard to imagine that her dedication to fitness wasn’t key to overcoming cancer multiple times and having the energy to work so far into her career.
I’m reminded of this line from the U.S. Army Leadership Field Manual:
“Wherever they are, people who are physically fit feel more competent and confident. That attitude reassures and inspires those around them. Physically fit soldiers and [Department of the Army] civilians can handle stress better, work longer and harder, and recover faster than ones who are not fit.”
And I’m reminded of this one from The ONE Thing: “High achievement and extraordinary results require big energy.”
So...who wants to work out this week?
SOMETHING FUN
My favorite of Kate McKinnon’s impersonations of RBG: