HARD WORK.........the recipe for success.

Imagine reading a bible one day and you come across a verse which reads; “Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave” (Proverbs 12:24 NLT)! That was exactly my experience some years ago. Indeed, hard work is the key to success. Hard work earns you result. Results do not come unless you put in efforts! Hard work is a great quality. It is noble and veneration. All great men are hard-working people. Bill Gates revealed, in an interview, how he worked most nights until 10pm and only took two weeks off in 7 years, even after he became a millionaire with investment as big as Microsoft. I have also read a story of how Thomas Edison worked for twenty-one hours a day. He slept only for two or three hours on the laboratory tables with his books as his pillow.

 A person can only excel in his career due to hard work. Only hard work can get (and sustain) your promotion in life. It does not lie in luck. While luck may sometimes bring such to you, believe me, you will need real hard work to sustain it. There is no substitute for hard work. I love the way Henry Ford puts it; “The harder you work, the luckier you get”. How true! Every successful people work hard. And they have fun doing it. Amazingly, sometimes, we tend to underestimate work and overestimate talent but in the end, work tops talent. Ask talented people, they will always tell you that the real gift is not the talent, rather, the ability to work hard which invariably develop the talent. If you are going to be successful at anything, the key is to work smartest.

The problem with our human nature is that we want everything immediately without any effort. We have become a "microwave society". It is so funny we are even known to be living in "jet age". Unfortunately, we now see success the same way; we want it right now and we want it the easiest way. What a contradiction! If you buy into this type of method for success, then it is safe to conclude that you are gambling with your life. Never leave your life to chance! Take responsibility for your future and work towards achieving bringing your visions/dreams to reality. There is nothing that pays better than the 'good old fashioned' hard work. If an athlete will not plant a seed of "hard work", he/she will not reap the crop of success. Ask the farmer, the footballer, the athlete and they will tell how they have earned great rewards from their continual effort. With hard work, you can expect to get bigger, stronger, and faster.  To achieve true success and reach your fullest potentials, you need the strength of mind and body.

Without any doubt, the poor seem to also work hard but their working hard is often geared towards different goals with the hope to merely survive. It is very important at this stage not to mistake labour with hard work. Working hard does not necessarily mean physical labour. It doesn’t necessarily mean putting in long hours yet these are the first things that first come to your mind whenever you hear such word as “hard work”. Hard work involves avoiding the distraction that comes with doing what you are expected to be doing to achieve a set goal. It means to be focused and doing what is needed towards achieving your goal. It is about accomplishment, productivity and efficiency. Sometimes also, it is about going the extra mile. For example, hard work is not about washing the car but also going the extra mile to polish it. That is what hard work does; it makes your work stands out.

Usually, most people will do what is easiest and avoid hard work and that is precisely why you should do the opposite. The much tougher challenges will usually see a lot less competition and a lot more opportunity, that's where the big chunks are. The trust is that it will take hard work on the part of anyone who wants to be the best. How much work will it take? That depends on your final goal, or the greatness of your dream. If you want to be the best, then you are going to have to do more than others do. Any ordinary person can stay ordinary but those who will work hard, doing a daily routine that others often don’t will become the extraordinary people. People with strong arms, legs or muscles do not just wake up one day with those muscles; they build those muscles through hard work in form of daily/routine exercise.

There are definitely no short-cuts. Do you want to be bigger, stronger and faster? You must buy into this daily work ethic. You must learn to carry this method of success into every realm of your daily existence. If you will strive to reflect a spirit of excellence in everything you do, then hard work will automatically become your second nature. Make a name for yourself by being the best at everything you set your mind to do. Become a daily learner and a daily reader. Educate yourself in the area that you want to be the best. There is no easy way to accomplish what has never been done. It might take time but, believe me friends, hard work pays. However, make sure the work you are doing is productive and not just busy! Focus on hard work and working smart. It is a recipe for success.