By: Lucas Nwanchukwu


We live in a society that promotes the narrative that success is guaranteed from one’s hard work. We pride ourselves on our hard work and our work ethic. It will not be out of place to draw up the conclusion that success is a demonstration of your virtue, as it points to the fact that you are entitled to success because you have worked hard.
I have seen many deserving people and frequently classmates from my secondary school study years to my tertiary study get out of the blue poor results at tests and examinations.
Sadly, many people that keep struggling daily to succeed from hard work, find themselves sucked into a cruel cycle from which they can never seem to come out from. This cycle makes you think you have not done enough, hence, you have to work hard the more, it goes on and same poor result is the output. How about you pause for a moment and evaluate what you are doing to know if it is the right thing or better put, if it the right kind of hard work.
The big question is, what did you fail to do? How did the outcome turn oddly out of sync with the effort you have put in? Quite often, if the person is grossly worried, room for further questions can be made, such as, have I committed some slip in my preparation process? Then your worst fear, maybe you are not just good, that even your best falls far short of the mark?
Apparently, the endpoint is the feeling of disappointment that birth both shame and exasperation. Then, there is a last option to place the blame on. In a highly religious space like Nigeria, the person begins to entertain thoughts and feelings of being robbed of his/her destiny, occasioned by some dark powers that be, which I do not take away from the equation. Your thoughts reverberates “las las, my village people don get me”
By this time, the person will think he/she will provoke sympathy of people but all you get is a cold scorn and judgment.
Hard work will NOT PAY if the right things are not done, it will only amount to suffering. It will just be a torturous journey and efforts that will not yield anything other than pain and disappointment.
If hard work indeed will bring success, we may consider some things we have ignored for long and I see them as requisites to rewire our mindset, which will positively change our approach towards achieving success.
1. Hard work isn’t physical–it’s mental- We all know plenty of people who worked hard all their life and ended up broke, don’t we? I have nothing against hard work. However, we have to agree that hard work fundamentally involves mental process of making smart decisions. The key here is to ask questions with an open mind and without any preconceptions, such as where am I? Where are my going from here? how do I get there?. Of course without entertaining preconceptions, because, preconceptions lead to fear and clouded thinking. This form of open-minded thinking allows for creative problem solving and opportunities. This will help you make smart and strategic decisions in order to hit your mark and surpass it. Smart thinking combined with smart work will always pay off in the long run.
2. Be intentional in all you do- Is your life run on autopilot or you are in charge? Being intentional about all you do means you knowing why you do what you do and why you don’t do what you don’t do. It is actually not about making choices but evaluating the choices you have made and how they add up towards achieving your goals
3. Focus on things you can control- It is an extreme extension of perfectionism to think you have “everything under control” you will constantly overextend yourself without much to show for it. Of course, you expend too much energy on issues that fall outside of your circles of influence and control, limiting the energy you have left to use on issues that you can truly control. Be realistic about what you can control. Pick fights you can win and win big, that way, you will be living in alignment with and doing (working hard) on what matters most? That will make your hard work pay.
4. Success is all about relationships NOT Hard work — Sometimes your actions (hard work) fail to bring the results you want. You will need to have anchoring relationships. It is essential, you require this web of support of relevant people with different skills, and ability. They can come from your family, friends, colleagues at work or peers. The right people in your life will benefit you throughout each of your life’s endeavors.
I believe that merely working hard does not cut it, but adding the externals I have mentioned in this write-up will help you set a course for your life rather than just wandering aimlessly through life.


https://medium.com/@nwachukwuemmanue/hard-work-does-not-pay-b9c6df64bd59

A very good read. Thanks Op.

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lie from the pit of hell
hardwork pays, the only thing is u must not rely only on it
u av 2 be street-smart!

Hardwork does pay... Only if you work smart

HRHQueenPhil:
lie from the pit of hell
hardwork pays, the only thing is u must not rely only on it
u av 2 be street-smart!

its obvious u didn't read the thread

popsy2:
A very good read. Thanks Op.

u welcome sir

Great!!!

I take the first point: hardwork isn't physical, but mental.

What we term hardwork here in Nigeria is just acute suffering and gross dehumanization. How can someone decide to push a full car engine in a narrow from Ladipo to a very far distance? Only to claim he is working hard for just a little change.

A doctor who is diligent and attends to his patient and timely too, is hardworking. A trader who tries to innovate and arrange his wares at all times to attract customers, is hardworking. Same goes for all others.

But you farming on plots of land with just hoe and cutlass and pushing bulky goods on a barrow is just total and complete suffering. Little wonder it comes with little returns.

Well





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Fvck it.
Hardwork is old school; Smartwork is the new school.

If you still expect your profit to be directly proportional to your sweat, then you're never ready to hit it big.
Wealth works by inverse proportion.

A smart girl in a time like this knows that, buying bleaching cream and butt pad, is the way to go, instead of toiling under the sun everyday looking for a $1-per-day job.

that truth we all work hard

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Op nailed it


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You mentioned Nigeria. Because the economy and the circumstance that drove it up is fvcked up. Will same happens in an advanced country.
Asides that you are absolving village people from blame. May they not sit on your case

You mentioned Nigeria. Because the economy is fvcked up. Will same happens in an advanced country

Thanks for sharing

It isn't quite clear what you really define as "hard work"

And don’t you think it takes smart decisions to build successful relationships?

In any case, it must have been hard work for you to put together this piece!

Thanks again

ecclize:
By: Lucas Nwanchukwu

We live in a society that promotes the narrative that success is guaranteed from one’s hard work. We pride ourselves on our hard work and our work ethic.

1. Hard work isn’t physical–it’s mental- We all know plenty of people who worked hard all their life and ended up broke, don’t we? I have nothing against hard work. However, we have to agree that hard work fundamentally involves mental process of making smart decisions....

4. Success is all about relationships NOT Hard work

Hard works do pay only when you work smart BUT there are some factors beyond our controls about reaping from that same hard work..

I called it forces.. Forces are beyond our imaginations..

Have you ever had a wonderful plans that everything seems like 100% perfect but after executing the plans, you have entirely different results

Forces are factors beyond our control.. If all dreams come true, na everybody for rich

Thumbs up @OP

Hard work?

If you like push wheel Barrow for 25 years without planning , you go suffer for old age

Life is in stages, when you work hard. You also have to work smart

Hard work without smartness is suffer head

Well said

Hard work does not pay but smart work does

Be street wise..there is a lot money in the street than offices - Evangelist Barack Obama (1991)

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." -Eccl 9:11

Yeah.

Bitter truth.

Nice write-up but I'm confused cos your idea of success might be different from other's.

Lastly, nobody ever always wins; even, working 'smart' according to you does NOT always lead to winning/success.

On a lighter note, this grammar worry o: Where are my going from here?

Op please define success.....

NonFarmPayrol:
Hard work?

If you like push wheel Barrow for 25 years without planning , you go suffer for old age

Life is in stages, when you work hard. You also have to work smart

Hard work without smartness is suffer head

Define work smart please. What exactly is work smart?

Good article to read.

Wonderful write up.....I learnt that along time ago

Lanre4uonly:
Bitter truth.

What is bitter truth?

Hard work pays

But you must also work hard in setting up and maintaining your business PROCESS.

.