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Hard work and luck both pay off. All of us have benefitted from them in one way or the other, Nevertheless, total dependence on luck is foolishness. What most people fail to understand is the fact that hard work is another kind of luck but you are the one to create it for yourself. The advantage there is the reward for hard work is certain. For instance, when you go out there and work, definitely you would be paid right? How about you just wake up from your bed and go out doing nothing but hoping that someone gifts you some money on the way? It happens but your chances of getting that are very low.
Depending solely on luck is risky, it's just like driving a car without a break and expecting to reach your destination safely. Inasmuch as both luck and hard work pay off, I will always go for hard work because hard work is authentic and very reliable. What I often advice people is to prepare yourself, and make yourself available for opportunities. Sometimes hard work can attract luck, I would love to call it automatic luck. You didn't expect to get a job but because you have the experience, the job lands on you. That sounds like good luck hehe.
One time, hard work paid off so much in my life was during my college. I know how much effort I put into my studies. I know the kind of sacrifices I made to see that I made it through. Sometimes my friends laugh at me, saying I am taking my studies too seriously like I am still in high school. But you know what? our teachers gave us a secret back then, they say "if you want to be the best, work hard"
I studied more in college than I did in high school, most times I read in the night till daybreak during examinations. I ensure I attend every lecture and do all my assignments. My aim was to never get a carryover till I graduated.
By God's grace, I achieved that goal. each semester when results are out, my friends would be like what's the secret? you don't have carryovers, you are lucky. I would just laugh, of course, I am lucky, but I created that luck for myself. If only they knew what use to happen behind the scene. Till I graduated, I didn't have any carryover, though I had a missing script during my second year. I went and met the course teacher and the woman apologized that it was her fault, she didn't know where she kept some of our scripts.
Almost half of us in the department were affected. She pled and asked us not to rewrite, that she was going to score us. Nevertheless, I didn't want any story when I came for my result, so I rewrote it. That was the only time I sat for an exam twice in college. It is not a lie, hard work pays. Pay the price and work, you will see results.
Guess I Was Just Lucky
Some years back, I heard that Npower recruitment was ongoing, my mom encouraged me to apply but I was reluctant. I don't just know why. On the last night of the application, I went to my friend's house around 10:00 p.m. and begged him to apply for me. The portal was going to close by 12:00 am can you imagine the risk馃ぃ and I was just coming. But God was faithful, and we finished a few minutes before 12:00 a.m. After the application when I got home, I logged into the portal And I discovered we made a lot of mistakes, my name was not as it was in my certificates, and worst of all, I realized that my statement of result was having issues with the year of graduation.
When I saw all that, I gave up. A few months later, I heard they started exams, it was computer-based tests. I said I was not going to for it because I am sure my name isn't on the list. My mom got offended and started ranting until I didn't know how I saw myself at a cyber cafe. When I gave them my details to check whether I was enlisted or not. To my surprise, my name was shortlisted.
One funny thing is the exam was closing that very day, and there were a lot of people who came for it. I had to join a long queue and wait for my turn. Prior to that time, I didn't have any experience with computer-based tests, and worst of all I didn't read for the examination. When it was my turn, I sat and did my best. Honestly, I don't know most of the questions, I just did what I could do. After the nonsense I thought I had written, I checked my score and I was having 85 % LOL, I laughed hard because I knew that was just luck. On a normal day I was not supposed to score more than 50%, I know what I wrote. To wrap it up, at the end of the day I was so lucky, I got the job. I put in only a little effort, but in the end, I still landed there, I know of people who stressed themselves over the stuff but didn't get it in the end.
Lessons
Luck is real but not reliable, it is best we prepare ourselves through hard work while waiting for luck to come our way, sometimes, luck may want to come to us but because we are not prepared enough, it goes to others.
