Is it luck? Or, is it hard work?

March 24, 2016

I was prompted to write this blog based on a question from the paperwork for the 5K run that I am doing; Who are you running for?

People have told me that I’m lucky for various reasons throughout my life. As I’ve gotten older it is one of those things that really makes me think when I truly dig down to the bottom of it. To sum it up perfectly, I saw a meme that said, “When people tell me that I am lucky, they really have no idea how hard I have worked.” SO TRUE. I’m not lucky, I work really hard. To me there is a difference. Winning the lottery is luck. Being in the right place at the right time to meet a celebrity is luck. I’m sure you catch my drift.

Hard work is something where you’ve set a goal and you put your blood, sweat and tears into it because you will do anything to make that one thing happen. So, if you obtain something from your hard work, then it was never luck. It was your relentless passion and your willingness to make sacrifices–whatever they may be–to achieve something.

As my good friend Dictionary.com points out:

Luck (noun):
1. the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person’s life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities
2. good fortune; advantage or success, considered as the result of chance

Therefore, it is not luck that is tied into our sleepless nights as we try to make our dreams come to fruition. That is hard work.

The message that I chose to write about today in the beginning of the blog dives deeper into hard work. I wanted to address encouragement. As a younger individual, I was exposed to people in my life who were depressed–some I knew who even cut themselves. The 5K that I am doing is for an organization called To Write Love on Her Arms and I had the opportunity to interview the woman who inspired the movement a couple of years ago. Here is an excerpt:

You are the inspiration behind since a special movement called To Write Love On Her Arms. For other young people who are faced with a similar situations to yours, whatā€™s the most important thing you can tell them now that you wish you would have known back then?
Rene:
I would tell them that perspective is EVERYTHING, you have the key to your freedomā€¦ and by empowering yourself with a positive perspective and truth, you can change your life. I donā€™t think thereā€™s one specific thing that I could do or say that would fix or save anyone, everyone comes to their truth in itā€™s right time, when theyā€™re ready.. the most important thing is finding whatever that is for you and truly owning it. More specific little things that helped me a lot was this quote for one, ā€œFailure isnā€™t falling down, itā€™s staying down.ā€ā€¦ or just the simple fact that they arenā€™t alone, that there is nothing youā€™ve said or done that someone else hasnā€™t done as wellā€¦ and not just that, but they have made it out, lived beautiful, full livesā€¦. God, thereā€™s so much I could say. The thing we all have to figure out first is what the problem is, we realize the problem starts in us and everything else is a symptomā€¦ Itā€™s simple, but not easyā€¦ but you have to love yourself, and the rest will come in turn.

I am so proud of the people that I have known in my life who worked hard to get themselves into a better frame of mind–and they are doing great now. So, for anyone who is doubtful, I encourage you to
get help–no matter what type of help you need. It is hard work to admit that you need the help and it may be a battle to go through in order to come out better on the other side.

To answer the question from my paperwork…

I am running for everyone who hasn’t found the courage to seek help yet.

It is not going to be easy, you’re going to have to work for it. But, I promise you that there are great people out there like TWLOHA that can point you in the direction of fulfillment for leading a much happier life.

<3