In life, there are certain factors that determine our success and agreeably, they can be narrowed down to “hard work” or mere “luck”. But which has the greater impact in success? How much does luck factor into success? These and many more are questions I've recently reflected on.
Apparently, there's been a lot of debate over the role of luck vs hard work in achieving success. And while some people argue that hard work and perseverance are essential for success, others believe that luck and chance play a bigger role. In my opinion however, I believe it's not a question of either/or, for both luck and hard work are equally important, impactful and work together interchangeably to secure success.
Before I share my experience with luck and hardwork, let's dive a little deeper first. Because fundamentally, I think it'll be helpful to look at luck and hardwork as two different but interrelated concepts.
Luck refers to the unpredictable and uncontrollable events that can affect our lives. Hard work, on the other hand, refers to the consistent and intentional effort we put into our goals and ambitions. Luck can provide a boost, an upper hand or even an advantage, but hard work is what allows us to pin unto that advantage and make the most of it. Let's say for example that you want to get a new job. You might get lucky and have a friend recommend you directly to the employer for employment or recruitment. But if you haven't been working hard to improve your skills and build your CV , you might not be able to take advantage of the opportunity, at least not for long.
On the other hand, even if you've been working hard but haven't any luck, you might feel frustrated and discouraged. But of course, if you keep learning and building yourself, eventually, your hard work will pay off.
Personally, I've had my fair share of experience with luck and hard work so I know this much. I remember the very first time I took my college entrance exam in 2019, I had worked so hard to beat the cut off mark for my choice of study (Law) into my choice of university (University of Lagos, Nigeria). Unfortunately, I couldn't get in because both my course and university choice were highly competitive. And even though my grades were good, I couldn't secure the admission majorly because I didn't have anyone in power to push me through.
On the other hand, a classmate of mine with a much lesser score than mine got in because he was lucky enough to have a connection with a professor at the university. This experience altered my mentality a bit… I thought to myself in despair, “Why's life so unfair? What's the point of hard work when everything's all about luck? And with everything else happening at that time, it seemed as if Lady luck wasn't letting me have anything my own way 🤧.
Regardless, the following year, I worked harder again in pursuit of my dream course but this time at another school. My hard work paid off because I beat the previous score but sadly not the cut off mark. We (my brother and I) did have a senior lecturer process our admission so we'd secure the course of our choice. Luckily, my brother got his but unfortunately, I didn't. Rather, I was transferred to another course. The person we were connected to claimed there must've been an error in the process.
Anyway, I moved on with my life and proceeded to study what the universe gave me. I assumed and accepted that I wasn't destined for law.
The tables turned last year and my Dad's distant cousin introduced my Dad to this private university where he worked as the Provost of Law. He requested my academic credentials and without much ado, processed my admission into the university to study law. And like a fairy-tale, that was how I finally got to study my dream course on scholarship. Finally, luck found me!
But where my hardwork story lies is in sustaining my admission. I didn't just sit back and relax because luck was on my side. Despite still being very much conscious and grateful, I lived like it didn't exist. I knew what was at stake if I slacked at school. So, I put in the hard work to get good grades whilst my exerting myself in good leadership as the class representative.
Basically, I was of my best behavior and tried not to depend on my “connection” or anyone else to scale through other phases. My hard work did secure me a high grade point in both semesters as well as leadership opportunities in the LAWSAN (Law Students Association of Nigeria). By God's grace, I am and will continue succeeding, academically and non-academically.
Remember the classmate I mentioned earlier? Just two months ago, I found out that he was expelled. It's sad to know that his connection couldn't save him from the consequences of what his self-discipline could have. And we all know self-discipline is hardwork itself, right?
So in essence, both hard work and luck can play vital roles in achieving success. While luck can create opportunities, it is hard work that allows us to take advantage of those opportunities. When it comes to success, I've come to the realization that we should focus more on what we can control, like our effort and attitude and not overthink inevitable things such as “luck”.
That way, we can maximize our chances of success while still being able to appreciate the role that luck might play. I once read somewhere that “without hard work, even the best luck won't get you very far but with hard work, even average luck can lead to great success” and those words stuck with me.
I like to think of hard work as the foundation, while luck; the icing on the cake. I don't really believe that one is a greater impact than the other, but rather that they work together to create success. These are just my thoughts though 🤷 as well as my response to week 84 edition 02 of the @hive-learners weekly posting topics.
p.s all photos are mine.
THANKS FOR READING! ❤️