The Unfairness Of Hard Work Doesn’t Make It Avoidable

Hard work doesn’t make us equal, but it’s still required for those in search of the extraordinary.

Image by Muhammad Abdullah

Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov was once asked whether he would be able to defeat the current chess world champion. He said he thought he would be capable but that he couldn’t do it. He elaborated his puzzling answer to explain that he thought he was good enough to beat the present champion, but that he wouldn’t have the stamina to play at that level for the required amount of time. The sheer prospect of it was too much to bear.

Recently, a friend and I discussed ideal jobs and what remuneration could be expected for the amount of work required. He said he couldn’t see himself doing eight hours a day of anything, even something he liked, for a significant period of time, as a career. I do not know many people who have the guts to look in the mirror and be that honest. Hard work is, well, hard. It’s not for everybody.

We are all capable of sprinting for a short period of time. If necessary, we might sprint faster than we thought ourselves capable. If the necessity is there, sometimes we outdo ourselves. Most of us can put in a twelve-hour high-intensity day in a desperate situation. Most of us have probably done so at some point. It is…