IGNORE THE CYNICS, IF YOU WORK HARD YOU WILL SUCCEED

There’s a phrase that many people have had ingrained in them by their parents, teachers, and society in general for countless generations. It’s the phrase, “If you work hard you will succeed”. Unfortunately, it’s a phrase that many people are actively trying to undermine these days. It’s almost as if the underlining wisdom of this simple, yet powerful formula, is being made out to be a lie. Some have even called it a myth.

The ‘Work Hard & You Will Succeed’ Mantra is NOT a Myth

Well, we are here to convince you otherwise. Our aim is to bring some clarity to the ill-conceived suggestion that this popular phrase is a myth. We’re here to help you embrace, or re-embrace the notion, that if you want to succeed in this world, it will require hard work and determination — and no amount of complaining, finger-pointing, or scapegoating is ever going to change that.

Oddly, there are individuals out there (the cynics) who are trying to convince you that hard work is not the answer. They want to convince you that you are disadvantaged, that you are not good enough, and that no matter how hard you try, there will always be something or someone holding you back. It’s as if they want you to believe there is some malign societal shadow whose sole purpose is to hold you back in life.

Hard Work is THE ANSWER

But you know what, they are wrong. Hard work is the answer, and you are good enough! True, you may be disadvantaged in some way ,shape, or form, but most of us are to a certain degree. That’s life! It’s complex!

We don’t know what the intentions of those cynical few are, but, hey they are cynics, it’s what they do. But we speak from experience, and what we do know, is that if you follow the advice that “working hard doesn’t bring success” , there is one thing that you can count on… you not succeeding. At least not to the degree that you are truly capable of. If you follow their advice, or entertain it in the slightest, you’ll immediately set in motion a future for yourself that minimizes your potential.

In short, if you buy into the ‘hard work doesn’t work’ way of thinking you’ll pretty much handicap yourself. No, not physically, but emotionally, mentally, and kinetically. By embracing this misguided mindset, you’ll limit your belief in what is possible for you — and in so doing, you’ll minimize the energy you would have put forth and the actions you would have normally taken to make progress in your life. As a result, you’ll eventually get less of what you could have had or could have created.

Related: Link Between Work Ethic & Success

What Most People Get Wrong About Hard Work

The thing that too many people get wrong in their disenchantment with the notion of ‘work hard and you will succeed’, is that it’s not a recipe for instant success. Too many people think that if they spend a week, or a month, or even a year grinding things out and working hard, that they will magically achieve everything they had their hearts set upon.

But that’s just not the case. To believe that you are owed anything is to put it simply, Peter Pan thinking — and if you want to find success, it’s a way of thinking which must be overcome.

True, some people will be fortunate enough to reap their rewards sooner than others. And for some, it will take far longer than anticipated to reach what they are after. But, hard work applied to any endeavor over time, will almost always produce positive results. So patience is key.

Suppose The Opposite Is True

Now suppose we are wrong. Suppose we are leading you astray, and you go and work hard and don’t find the success you seek. No doubt, that would be a tragedy. But, like the extraordinary 26th president of the United States once stated:

Now imagine the opposite. Imagine, you stop believing in the power of working hard, and as a result, you begin to just coast. Where do you think you’ll end up in five years? Do you think you’ll have more money in the bank, a nicer car, more income, etc.. by embracing the idea that hard work doesn’t bring success?

What if you bought into the idea that the system is rigged against you? So, as a result, you stop putting forth your best efforts. What do you think your chances at a raise or promotion would look like in a year to two years ? How will your employers react to your new found philosophy?

If you’re a business owner or an entrepreneur, how will your clients or customers react to your choosing to create mediocre products or services because of your “why even try attitude”?

How long do you think you’ll be in business for? Chances are high, not very long. Chances are high, success will remain out of reach and very difficult to embrace for those who grasp onto “the everything should be easy” way of thinking.

Related: ‘Thinking’ – Success Poem

Imagine This

Michael Jordan was once cut from the Varsity team. He was only a sophomore in high school when it happened. Imagine if he decided to not buy into the hard work equals success mindset. Michael never would have put in the extra time, energy, and effort over that fateful summer to make the team the following year, let alone become the team’s MVP. Had he not decided to put in the hard work that was required of him season after season, year after year, the icon he would eventually become, would never had happened.

J.K. Rowling had dreams of becoming a successful writer, and she had to persist for years before that dream would become a reality. Imagine if she would have quit because she thought it should be easy? Imagine if should would have stopped because she erroneously believed, that no matter how hard she worked, her gender would limit her?

Steve Harvey had a severe stuttering problem when he was younger. On top of this, he was told by his teacher that he would never fulfill his dream. Imagine if he believed his teacher. Imagine if he would have bought in to the limitations that some in our society try to place on us? What do you think his results would have looked like had he not put in the effort required of success? We doubt he would have been able to amass a net worth of over $200 million dollars, we doubt he would have become the successful entertainer and inspiring success he is today.

Of course this is just a small sample of people who believed in that modest idea, that if you work hard you will succeed. There is virtually an endless supply of success stories that make the case for embracing hard work, so we’ll just stop here.

Final Thoughts

Here are our final thoughts. The ‘Work Hard & You’ll Succeed’ Mantra is NOT a Myth. If you believe hard work pays, and put in the time and effort that goes along with such a belief, success will surely follow. In addition to this, if you buy in to the ‘work hard & you will succeed’ way of thinking, you will put yourself leagues above those who put their faith in its pessimistic alternative.

With that being said, we hope this post helps you believe again, that hard work is valuable. And that it is a key to finding more success in life.

We believe that if you work hard you will succeed. No doubt, you may have to sprinkle in a little bit of faith and a dash of patience to the formula. But if you follow the formula, mark our words, you will find success.

Hard work + Faith + Patience = Success

Till next time,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed this article about hard work and success, then you’ll love these badass quotes about hard work and success.