Hard Work is NOT everything

Ever since I started school a long time ago, I have been told numerous times that in order to succeed, you should work hard, the harder you work, the more successful you're gonna be. It is true, but over the years, I have noticed that hard work is NOT everything. 

Hard work is one of the key factors that decides whether we become successful or not, but it is not the ONLY factor, get the logic there?

Firstly, you need to work SMART as well.

Why do some people who study all night long fail their exams while some who probably just spend about 2-3 hours can pass theirs? The answer is because those who study for 2-3 hours probably know their stuff already, and all they need to do the day before the exam is just to recap, OR they know what the important things are, and will not waste their time filling their brains with unnecessary information. 

Make a plan, then execute it. Don't just execute it blindly and say that " I have worked hard, I should get my results. " 

Also, another part of working smart is knowing what you are good at, and what you need to work on. If you are good at something, don't be complacent, PERFECT IT. If you need to work on something, then work on it and IMPROVE IT. 

Secondly, you may not believe this, but LUCK is also another factor. 

For me, I believe in luck because a lot of my friends and I have been lucky before. Sometimes, when luck is on your side, you can somehow succeed without you expecting it. 

Just look at this bar graph above, It shows how luck makes a huge impact, be it on a business plan, expanding sales, etc. 

But BEWARE, do not rely on luck as the ONLY factor. Luck, is like a roller-coaster, sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down. Ie. You may be lucky at one point, but you may not be at another. 

If you don't do shit but you are lucky at that time, you MAY still get your results, but they may not be satisfactory. But if you accompany your luck with hard work ( and of cos, working smart as well ), your results will be MARVELOUS. 

But well, if you're unlucky and decide not to do shit, well, my message is, good luck to u ^^ 

I hope that after reading this, you would not stop working hard, because it plays an important part be it in your work or studies, but it is NOT THE ONLY part, that's my message.