Hanging in my kitchen right now is a sign. Written on it is what I believe are the keys to success: “Work hard and be nice to people.”
In my house, the phrase, “You can do anything” was always accompanied by the caveat, “if you work at it.” It’s because of this belief that I’m never jealous of other people’s successes, but rather the time and effort they’ve been able to dedicate to succeeding.
Believe me, I’ve had my share of “F’s” and losses, but none were ever unexpected. My failures are almost always preceded by a careless attitude or a tight schedule. After every failure, I’m reminded that I cannot expect to be more successful than someone who has put hours into something. Especially if the hours I had were spent procrastinating, scrolling or generally wasting time. It can take hours of hard work to develop a talent. People who make things look easy have almost always already spent a lot of time struggling through them first.
Entitlement is the thief of hard work. You are not deserving of success just because you have “natural talent” or because you “should be good at something.” But this idea works both ways. If any skill can be developed, you can work towards success without talent. You don’t need to start with anything. The only thing you need to begin is motivation.
The next time you compare your success to someone else’s, just remember that no skill is truly effortless. Don’t be disappointed in your lack of success. Strive to have the time, drive and motivation that others exhibit towards their goals. Stop moping about not having a good voice and learn to sing instead. Stop studying PowerSchool and start asking for help. Stop focusing on the things you can’t control. Instead, put more time and effort into achieving your goals and you really will be able to do anything.