I’m not exactly sure when it happened but it’s been within the last year. I heard someone say, “hard work pays off.” I didn’t think much of it at the
I began to hear the same statement more often or at least I became more aware when others would say it. I heard someone quote this and I’m not sure who to attribute but it roughly says, “Hard work beats
I really began to ponder the idea of hard work paying off. Call it naivety or laziness but I had assumed some things just come naturally for people. I still believe that to a degree, but I’m more convinced hard work is really the key. I’m not the only one, I’ve heard everyone from professional athletes to writers say the exact same thing.
I bought into the ideology that hard work really does pay off. From my Christian roots, I’ll refer to that as “you reap what you sow.” Many people relate that concept to doing something good or bad to others. While that is true it certainly holds a deeper meaning. I don’t believe God blesses lack of effort of laziness. If you want to be great at something you will have to put in the effort. It doesn’t matter whether it’s sports or academics, the ones who are great are the ones who worked hard and persevered.
We’ve all had that acquaintance or friend who says something to the effect of, “It just came naturally to me, I really didn’t have to do much.” While that is true to a very limited extent and probably only for a very select few, I’ll remind us of the quote above, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
If you’re like me and you’re not the most talented but you have a desire, make up your mind to be great, work hard and don’t quit. At the very least you’ll receive the reward of knowing you gave it your very best.
