Greetings friends!

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It is often taught us that hard work is the key to success. People give examples of people who became successful and rich. But this is an illusion. If hard work alone could make anyone successful, then the labourers who work fiercely all day would have been the most successful people. But reality is different. The most successful people are either lucky or belong to already successful families. Some become successful simply because they have good luck.

A person coming from a rich and powerful family already has an edge over others. They know how to get things done. They receive good education, high‑class training, and their family’s influence clears many hurdles from their path. On the other hand, a person from a poor background lacks vital information. They have to start from scratch. That’s why most successful people in history come from families that were already in advantageous positions.

In India, the IAS (administrative post) post is considered one of the most successful kinds of jobs. It gives a person immense power. But only a few hundred posts open every year. Millions study day and night, but when the posts are so few, only a few lucky ones get selected. Does this mean those who couldn’t succeed were not hardworking or were incompetent? Not at all. They simply were not as lucky as those who succeeded. Hard work matters only in situations where chances are equal for everyone - for example, in high school exams. Everyone has to cross a fixed barrier and does not have to compete directly with others. But in competitions like civil services exams, you need to be luckier and more innovative than others.

That’s why success does not depend solely on hard work. Luck also plays its role. In this world, where everything is structured like a pyramid, you cannot say that those who couldn’t reach the top were not working hard.

Thanks!