How often do you hear “you are so lucky…” or think “they are so lucky…” when referring to someone's success in life? Be it parenting, blogging, career, body shape, etc. Is it really luck or hard work being dismissed as luck because people don’t see the actual blood, sweet, and tears that got them their success. No matter the formula, method, or belief, the key to how to be successful is hard work.
HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL
There is no secret to how to be successful at anything, it requires hard work. Sure, there are some who are naturally gifted at certain things, but natural talent without hard work will only get you so far. There are those who are genetically predisposed for certain traits, aesthetics, and more that can be dismissed as luck, but again you must have hard work or those genetic gifts will once again only get you so far.
You can believe it or not, but there’s no such thing as pure luck when it comes to success.
“Luck is when opportunity meets preparation”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
LUCK = OPPORTUNITY
Instead of thinking of someone’s or your own luck when it comes to how to be successful, change the word luck to opportunity. This immediately shifts your mindset. Sometimes people come across opportunities relatively easily, but oftentimes people make their own opportunities.
Choosing the right community to be involved with. Surrounding yourself with like minded individuals or those who consistently challenge you to be better. Putting yourself out there and hustling for your goals.
PREPARATION
Now for the hardest part, preparation because what good is an opportunity without preparation?
No matter your goals, you must continue to fine tune your craft. Know the industry and keep learning. Never become complacent. Master one set of skills and work on another.
SO IS IT LUCK OPPORTUNITY OR HARD WORK?
When it comes to how to be successful in most anything in life, most of the time it’s both. While you cannot always control your opportunities, you can have more control of it than “luck.”
Unfortunately opportunities do not always distribute evenly and oftentimes can seem skewed and unfair in its distribution.
The important thing is to keep working hard and to keep trying. When something doesn’t work, go back to the drawing board.
This blog post idea came to me because I get a lot of comments about how lucky I am that I'm barely showing at 20 weeks pregnant. There are many factors to this. The main reason I look as good as I do pregnant right now is that going into pregnancy we worked for years to get my health in order. Part of this journey was developing fitness and nutrition habits that works for my body.
Most women my age (36) can have difficulty conceiving and challenging pregnancies. We knew this going in and wanted to do everything we could to get me as strong and healthy as possible. Through tons of research, hard work, and even 3 certifications in the health and fitness industry, we got me there.
While I do believe we are extremely lucky to have conceived so easily, you have to also look at the years of work we did to get my body in it’s optimal place. We also can only control so much and let’s not forget this is my first pregnancy where oftentimes women do not start showing as early.
The downside of not showing much is also the mental toll it can take on someone. Worry about the baby developing normal. Feel pregnant, but not looking it and so much more.
DON’T BE FOOLED
There’s a badge of honor these days to make things “Instagramable '' and leave out the literal blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to achieve success. I hope this post reminds you that it’s never what it seems and that there’s no getting around hard work and sacrifice for any dream or goal.
There is always a cost, we just don’t always see it from the outside.
xoxo
Serein
