To me, success is a mixture of so many things. Talk of hard work, luck, timeliness, opportunity, and then preparation. Back then, the only thing they would tell you is to work hard, and it's not as if hard work is bad, just that today, you don't just have to work hard, but it is more important that you're working very smart. If you're not smart with whatever it is you're doing, your hard work will not count or amount to anything.
In short, it is not enough to say you're working hard and then expect some form of tangible result; it won't come. You can be doing the same work with someone else and get different results. You might be working harder while this other person is not just working smart but also has access to better opportunities, had the right connections, gets financially supported, and has needed information. What I'm trying to say in essence is that, for your success, a lot of things are involved in it; being hardworking is not enough to guarantee you success.
And talking about luck, I feel it goes hand in hand with preparation, because if luck finds you and you're not very well prepared or haven't developed yourself properly, then there's a high chance that it will just pass you by and look for who's prepared.
Personally, if a big opportunity comes for me tomorrow, I wouldn't even waste time trying to figure out if it's luck or not; I would grab it and make sure to give it my very best. Even if I'm not very well prepared for it, I won't ever let it go; I would study, ask questions, build and develop myself, and not give room for fear to have the best part of me... Because fear would always come in saying how unprepared I was and all that, but I wouldn't give in.
So, that's just it... Just like something I read somewhere sometimes last week, it reads, "The difference between where you are and where you want to be is just an opportunity." And it is just so true. So, work hard, prepare yourself, be smart, continue to learn and study, build relationships, develop yourself, and just be ready... Opportunity will come soon, so it's better to be ready before it does.
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