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Funny thing is, though....like the old saying: The harder I work, the luckier I get.
You seem to be focused on money and appearance. Those things are important, of course. But if success and happiness are the goals, money and appearance don't seem to get a lot of people there.
There have been wealthy, beautiful people who committed suicide. Superstar models, beautiful actresses, celebrities. Their luck ran out, and their beauty and wealth didn't help.
I believe that one of the joys in life is to find something you're good at doing, and get paid decently for it. The self esteem one gets from that, the pleasure of the work, the pleasure just going to work knowing you love what you do, is a pleasure that many people miss out on.
Working at a job just for the money, or centering your existence on your face or your body, doesn't lead to a satisfying life, IMO. We've all heard the stories of beautiful women who lost their looks, and yet, it turned out that that's not what they were about, to begin with. Christopher Reeve, the handsome movie star who became a quadriplegic after a tragic accident...he had much more going on than his good looks. He handled his situation with a lot of guts, with the support of his wife and family (who loved him for himself and not his "luck" at having been born gorgeous or at becoming wealthy through his work).
You can lose money and good looks. Focus on the things that you can't lose.
(BTW...anyone can be more attractive. There's cosmetic surgery, and wonders can be done for the body through a healthy lifestyle.)
Yep, it is a common theme on Internet forums. Oh well, those people never make it in life anyway and leave more room for the optimists who can see opportunities in everything they come across.
You made some good comments. The idea that hard work will result in guaranteed success is simply not true. Millions of people work hard every day and yet the wages they earn are pitiful. On the other side, many do not really work and get paid millions. Do you really think a Hollywood actor deserves millions while a public school teacher struggles to survive? Or how about professional sports figures who earn millions in contracts. Do they work harder than a police officer or firefighter? I think not. I am not saying one should adopt a lazy work ethic. One should try to do a good job in whatever field they may be in.
Yep, it is a common theme on Internet forums. Oh well, those people never make it in life anyway and leave more room for the optimists who can see opportunities in everything they come across.
Even if that were true, do you get a thrill from putting people down?
Right, hard work does NOT always pay off. It is on YOU to put yourself in a situation where you can make a difference by what you do on the job. Sometimes that is easier said than done...but there are no absolutes.
If you want to give up then give up. If you want to thrive (at least in the world of work) then find your niche. Or find other things that fulfill you - family, charity, etc.
Also, don't demean the meaning of slavery - if you're getting paid, you are not a slave and you have a degree of choice and free will that a slave does not.
I couldn't get past "hard work is BS". I think that would make a great tattoo for you and all the people who are too lazy & self-centered to give 100% to a cause that benefits something other than yourself. Sure would make it easy for employers to weed out the dead weight and dodge that bullet!
I love my job and enjoy working hard at it. At the end of the day, it just feels good!
I absolutely agree with you on all your points. My son was born with perfect pitch (both ways) and is a prodigy on many instruments. Drums? He was shown the basics and within a year became better than most advanced drummers who have been playing for many years. Same with piano. It's so easy for him that he doesn't understand how others can't do it. My husband is a drummer and taught several students. One boy tried for two years and in spite of working very hard could not master the basics. So yes, you cannot "work hard" enough to overcome what you lack genetically.
Recently I was looking at a profile on Linkedin of someone i know who is 30 and a VP at a major company. She is getting married and her fiance is also a VP. I was curious how two (relatively young) professionals were able to advance so quickly when millions can't. Turns out both went to Ivy Leagues schools. But then if you research further, both of their families are wealthy and privileged and were legacy alumni at top universities. They got internships in college via connections from their parents' friends. If you inherit relative intelligence and are raised in the proper environment to hone your talents/educational abilities, and then you have open channels to go to the top schools and get the right connections you too can advance to top careers. They may think they "worked hard" to get where they are and yes they had to stay disciplined and actually go to class and graduate college but beyond that they were born into privilege.
I agree with you the most on being lucky with being the first in a business. I get so tired of older generations chastising the younger as being lazy or just not willing to work hard enough as they did. What they don't understand is that many opportunities they had simply do not exist now. My parents' friends (couple with two children) started out in the 1960's, struggling as any couple did. He took some savings and partnered with a friend to start a small insurance company. They bought a tiny home in San Jose CA for $40k back in the 70's. The insurance company boomed and they made millions. Oh, and they recently sold that house for $1.3 million. To "start an insurance company" today is laughable as everything is controlled by huge corporations. Similar story happened with my own family. Back in the 60's they started a farming operation with a small loan from a local bank. The banker decided to take a chance on my 24 year old father who had literally nothing to his name. My parents worked hard and retired as millionaires. Today with all of the environmental regulations, and especially the very expensive workers compensation laws and requirements, there is no way you could do that now. Even my dad admits that it would take at least a million in personal investment to start, and no bank would ever loan you that money now.
The bottom line is that working hard is no guarantee to any success. Yes, there is a certain amount of "applying yourself" that is required, but you can't believe that you can just pick a career and work super hard and success will automatically follow.
Last edited by Coloradomom22; 10-15-2016 at 09:49 AM..
Looky there, a list of ready-made excuses for why someone can't become successful.
Life is never a level playing field - we are not machines. For all those obstacles you listed, there are millions that have overcome them to become successes.
Anyway, I can admit that calling hard work "meaningless" is perhaps a bit harsh, since extra effort can pay off in certain circumstances. Massively overrated would be a more accurate way to describe it.
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