Hard work: Necessary but insufficient

Before you start grinding, read this:

Hard work isn’t the differentiator. Everybody works hard. The differentiator is working hard on the right thing long enough to look lucky. – @scottdclary

Yes, hard work is necessary. Critical.

But just grinding hard isn’t enough. Go ask any talented person who worked hard but accomplished nothing and is always bitter now - you’ll bump into one for sure because there’s many of them in the world.

Hard work is hardly uncommon. It’s the most common denominator of anyone in the arena and trying to seek success. So if you’re in the arena, expect that is a norm and useless as an edge.

You’ll also need to be working on the right thing for long enough, as quoted.

Right thing means product-market fit, product-founder fit, and a market demand. Long enough means putting in the reps to get it right, iterate, pivot, fail, try again, fail again, try again. News flash: You can work really hard without every failing. If you didn’t fail, consider that you might not be on the right thing long enough.

And the looks lucky part?

It’s the moment when you have arrived. It’s an opportunity, a moment in time when the window opens just for you. When others say you’re just lucky, that’s the sign you’re onto something. You don’t get here without first having done the right thing, long enough.

So not feeling lucky?

Find the right thing. Work hard. Keep going.