Hard Work and Success

Work hard in school, you usually succeed. All the "problems" will come from the limited class material (lectures, books, notes, etc.). Simply mastering all the material gives you the knowledge to handle any and all possible problems on this path.

Most jobs are also places where hard work usually leads to success. There are pre-defined set of possible "problems" well documented and mapped out. If you work hard, you are likely to succeed and grow within the company.

In "real life", hard work does not guarantee success. You can work hard on the "wrong problems" and not succeed. There are no books or guides which can set you up for a guaranteed success.

So the first task is finding a problem to work on. This task seems easy, but it has the biggest impact on your life and future happiness. It is also possibly the hardest part of the "process".

This contrast becomes clear when looking at founders. Two founder friends, equally smart, and working equally hard. The same hours, dedication, and focus. One already has massive success and the other is stuck in place for years.

Smart people will often not change directions when things aren't working out. In fact, the smarter, and more resilient they are, the more likely they are to persevere working on the wrong problems longer and harder all while getting nowhere.

Finding the "right problem" should be the first problem for smart and ambitious people. How to find problems is a topic for another day. But more often than not, the same amount of effort is required to succeed regardless of the problem's nature. The returns, though, are massively different. This contrast in returns alone is incentive enough to find the right problems to work on.

Life is precious. Time is precious. And energy is limited, so choose problems worthy of your life, time, and energy. Choose a worthy problem, then work hard!