Effort and results are quite linearly related in academic performance. If you put in effort, you will get the results.

If 4 equally talented people study in similar schools, their academic results will be quite similar and, almost directly proportional to their efforts. Chance has a much lesser role to play (except the rare chance of tragedies).

But in life, Chance has a field day. It will topple you, lift you, trip you, make you fly and make you crawl. The relationship between effort and results is not so linear in life.

Losing a job due to recession, getting stuck with a bad boss, getting an illness or getting a great job, an excellent boss and excellent opportunities are examples of how Chance can impact your results.

Many people struggle to make the transition from school to the real world because schools offer a protective and controlled environment. When they go out into the world, life throws knockout blows and punches at them, and they haven’t developed the skill of getting back up.

4 equally talented and educated people can have very different journeys in life and very different final destinations. Yet, one thing is as clear as day – In the long run, effort will ALWAYS move you forward.

As long as you don’t compare your journey and your final destination with others, your effort will make you progress. A better yardstick for success is to see how far you’ve come from where you were, instead of over-indulging in comparison.

To keep putting in effort after failure is a superpower! It will lift you out of the deepest trenches.

This ability to get up every time after getting knocked down is called Resilience. It differentiates between winners and losers. Make sure you build your resilience muscles everyday.

Self Reflection:
– How soon do you pick yourself up after a setback (of course the severity of the setback also matters). Just get an overall idea for yourself.
– What can you do to pick yourself up faster (after allowing time for grief, pain, sorrow, and coming to terms with reality)