Myth Busting: Does Hard Work Guarantee Success?

Okay, let’s start with a simple premise: You work from morning till night, eat instant noodles as your main meal, and sleep only four hours a day. With this pattern, according to the myth we often hear, success should be knocking on your door. But… why is the door still empty?

We have been fed the idea that hard work is the highway to success for too long. As if life is an RPG game where the more hours we put in, the higher our level. Unfortunately, life is not that fair. If hard work were the only variable for success, then the builder who lifts rocks all day should be richer than the CEO who just sits around signing documents.

Let’s dig deeper. Some successful people do work hard. But if we’re honest, they also work smart. They know when to step on the gas, when to step on the brakes, and most importantly they understand the game they’re in.

Ever heard the phrase “Who works the hardest in a restaurant? Not the owner, but the chef and the waiter.” Now, here’s the trap. The economic system doesn’t reward us based on the sweat we shed, but rather on the value we produce. And unfortunately, it’s not always rational.

For example? There are people who work hard for years to write great books but still don’t sell. Then there are influencers who dance for fifteen seconds on TikTok, and suddenly get billions of rupiah in advertising contracts. Is this fair? No. But this is reality.

The myth of “hard work = success” is addictive to those who want to believe that the world operates meritocratically. But let’s look at the world’s billionaires. Many of them started out with inherited capital, family connections, or access to opportunities that weren’t available to everyone. It’s not that they didn’t work hard, but they had business class tickets from the start while the rest of us were still fighting over economy seats.

So, is hard work not important? Of course it is. But hard work without a strategy is like rowing a boat without knowing where you’re going. You can row all day, but if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll just get tired and get nowhere.

Rather than getting caught up in the glorification of overtime and the endless cycle of work, we should ask ourselves: What really makes an impact? Working smart, understanding the pattern of the game, and knowing when to go against the grain are more sensible keys than just grinding away time aimlessly.

So, the next time someone says, “Hard work will lead to success,” ask them back: Success for whom? Because if the answer is simply “for the boss who gets richer,” maybe it’s time to change our strategy.

[Image generated with the help of Meta AI!]