Work hard and you can achieve anything?

[mommathatwearspink]

AIBU to think that this isn’t always the case... or is it?

Me and DP (early 30’s) work very hard (like many people) in good jobs. I am still fairly new in my profession but have the chance to make good money as I progress. So far it’s taking longer than anticipated.
I’ve seen so many quotes this week that say ‘work hard and you can achieve anything’ and I just feel that no matter how hard you work, you can’t necessarily achieve everything you want.

Checks mantelpiece for Olympic medal.
Doesn’t seem to be there.
Remembers hundreds of hours of training as a child.

Agree.

Doesn’t mean you can’t achieve a lot if you work hard.

You know, I dont actually know.

I subscribed to this. My CV has been online for years. Everything I have done has been to improve it, make it stronger. Every decision I have made about my career has been to improve my CV.

It wasnt paying off. Then 18 months ago I got given a good opportunity but more hours and same money. I said, no. I had kids and didnt want ti spend less time with them. Then they offered me something else. I said, no. A year after the first offer they offered me an amazing job with a fantastic wage.

All of a sudden it paid off. I am 37.

Truth is, most people work hard. Some dont really progress. But they still work just as hard, or harder.

For me what worked was calculated risk taking, on top of working hard. And focussing on what I wanted my CV to be. Every training course, qualification, job move had to add something my CV was missing.

Theres also the debate around luck. So some people say it's mainly luck. I think luck plays a part, but not as big as people think.

So I was lucky, about 5 years ago, to have a senior manager who really believed in developing his team. If they wanted it. I jumped at it. Others didnt. So yes a bit of luck, but I took the opportunity given. I can think of many times I have taken opportunities available to others and then been told 'oh but you were lucky, he developed you/you could do that course', by the people who turned them down.

I grew up piss poor in am abusive childhood, I saw my mum keep giving up work to financially depend on whatever man was living with us and then get screwed when they left. I am lucky, that it meant I would never give up work and be financially dependent on a man. That is what pushed me to pursue my career so heavily. Is that luck?

So, yeah, luck is in there but in a smaller amounts than people believe. It's all infinitely complicated.

Of course not, that's absurd. And presumes there's no injustice in the world and no one ever discriminates against anyone.

Obviously YANBU. Success is usually down to a mixture of natural talent, luck and hard work. Someone could have an ambition to be a neurosurgeon, but hard work alone is not going to achieve that if they aren't very bright. And even if they are very bright, they are much less likely to achieve it if they have a deprived background, have unsupportive parents or go to a poor school, even if they work hard.

What is it that you feel that you should have achieved by your early thirties?

I think working hard helps you to achieve but you can't achieve absolutely anything. You have to be realistic. I could work really hard at loads of things and I would no doubt get much better at them but I am not going to win any Olympic medals or be top of the charts or even double my current salary. It's a phrase that basically implies any lack of success is because you didn't work hard enough. Luck, who you know, innate talent all play a role in your achievements in life. For some people to achieve success working hard is barely a requirement. The world is not a fair place.

work hard pays off, but only if you work "intelligent".

Some people think working hard means taking on anything and everything to show willingness, saying yes to the boss, all the way to cleaning the office kitchen to be a "team player".
That's not working hard in the right direction at all.

You need to be realistic, ready to change direction or job if you are not going anywhere.

There's a lot less "luck" involved than people think, and it rarely feels like luck at all for those who are successful.

it depends who you are and what achievement looks like to you.

I’ve worked hard at things that have had no long lasting material benefit because I enjoyed them. I’m not financially richer, but I have a bit more experience because of it.

One of my DC’s works phenomenally hard and has made incredible progress academically, overcoming challenges that would have completely floored me. Who knows what the future holds?

Carers work really hard doesn't make them financially successful if that's how you measure success. Can work really hard in low paying jobs but doesn't guarantee you'll achieve everything you want. Takes a combination.

I really hate this, it's an insult to the majority of the population who work really bloody hard every day but for whatever reason are just scraping by.

Yes hard work is important but you can't achieve anything you want from hard work alone, there are other factors like background, opportunities, luck etc that all factor.

I think its about working hard towards a goal not just working hard per se

Totally disagree.
It’s about working smart, taking a good look at yourself, your life, your limiting beliefs about yourself doing a lot of hard work ON YOURSELF and then working out how to achieve what you want - not working hard to make others rich!

Of course hard work doesn't pay, society would be organised very differently if it did!

I've worked 80 hour weeks before now but I am earning less in real and money terms than I was 32 years ago. My 1988 income would be worth double what I earn now.

www.inflationtool.com

there are other factors like background, opportunities, luck etc that all factor.

that's the very lazy way to look at it, and opportunities don't fall of the sky. It's not luck to make your own way up.

YANBU
It’s mostly luck.

Part of working hard is working smart. It’s taking the time to understand what you want to achieve, how you can achieve it, whether this is realistic and then dedicating yourself to it. For instance, if you want to be rich working in a good job alone is not going to get you there. If you want to progress in your career then you need to find ways to make yourself indispensable and take the risk of seeking new opportunities and negotiating promotions. And so on. If you just do something blindly for long hours you’re not working hard, the hardest bit is understanding what you should actually do. Implementation is merely a question of resources.

I think a big part of it is knowing where you want to be and then strategising to get there.

I have risen through the ranks from call centre telemarketer to senior manager and on track for exec level by 40.

I work hard, but so do lots of other people who are still doing the same role I started in 15 years ago.

The difference is that I've taken risks, to get noticed. Asked for work that's above my grade and then figured out the skills I needed and got them.

I think above all else what has got me noticed is being focused on solutions rather than just the problems. I see lots of people pointing out the problems at work and then leaving it hanging so it either stays a problem or someone else picks it up and gets the credit. I have always tried to identify, find and implement the solution. I then make sure my manager knows what the quantifiable result of that solution has been and note that on my CV. Eg, reworked a process to make it more efficient, reducing handling time by xx% so that xx% customers received a quicker response, increasing customer satisfaction from xx to xx and reducing complaints by xx.

It’s bullshit.

Life is a mix of sweat, opportunity, knowledge, risk, luck, and persistence.

(And I say that as someone who has been hugely fortunate and probably in an enviable position compared to most- I earn an incredibly high salary working 30-35 hours a week with a huge amount of autonomy and flexibility in a job I love).

I work my ass off and I still haven't been promoted. My CV is great and I take on lots of additional stuff to make it sparkly. My line manager agrees that I should be promoted by now too. I'm exhausted and demoralised and time poor. It's shit. I have never been in this position before where I couldn't make something happen (that I'm capable of) if I just worked hard enough. Manly pats on the back to you OP

When the biggest indicator of success for a child is the income of their parents then no, it isn't.

Hard work plays a part, but there a whole host of tiny advantages that people from certain economic backgrounds, ethnicities, who have good health etc acquire that make big differences.

I also think it's about your personality. I'm in a career where your face really has to fit. I'm a total disruptor, and whilst it means I'm incredibly good at getting things done and fixing things other people can't, it doesn't make me popular.

I think it’s mixture of;
Working hard
Taking leaps of faith/chances
Being in the right place at the right time
And having a positive attitude/outlook.

Luck is very important.

Also asking people what they think leads to success always gets an answer that is massively tainted by the self attribution fallacy. People don't like to admit that they had advantages.

There is one well known poster round here that always says no one helper her get where she is, then it slips out later that she was the privately educated daughter of a GP.