Your Hard Work Might Not Pay Off (At Least, Not Right Away)

Your hard work won’t always pay off right away — but that doesn’t mean it never will. Success might be right around the corner. You might be closer to your dreams than you can even imagine. It’s impossible to predict what’s going to happen tomorrow, but by working your hardest, you’re setting yourself up for the most beautiful surprises. You might have to hold out a little longer until getting what you want, but the best things in life are worth the long wait.

Your hard work won’t always pay off — but that doesn’t mean you can’t be proud of yourself. You shouldn’t discount your entire journey, simply because you didn’t reach your intended destination. You shouldn’t ignore all of your hard work, all the hours you spent trying your hardest. You should be proud of yourself for how much effort you put in. You should celebrate the fact that you were brave enough to take a chance on yourself.

Your hard work won’t always pay off — but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it. Whenever you accept a new challenge, you’re pushing yourself. You’re learning something new about yourself. You’re doing something positive in order to better yourself. Even if you ‘failed’ at what you were trying to accomplish, it doesn’t mean you were wasting your time. You taught yourself valuable lessons. You helped yourself get better prepared for next time. Because there will be a next time.

Your hard work won’t always pay off — but that doesn’t mean you aren’t talented. There are so many factors that go into whether someone gets a job, a promotion, an award, a trophy. Even once you have talent, you need a little luck on your side. You need the right timing. You need everything to line up perfectly. If you tried your best, then really, there’s nothing for you to feel bad about in the end.

Your hard work won’t always pay off — but that doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. It doesn’t mean you should have regrets about how you handled a situation. It doesn’t mean you made any unforgivable, embarrassing mistakes and should’ve known better. It’s healthy to take a look back at what you’ve done in order to discover new ways to grow, but you don’t want to treat yourself like a punching bag. You don’t want to trick yourself into believing you’re a total failure.

Your hard work won’t always pay off — but that doesn’t mean you should give up on yourself. Most of the time, you aren’t going to see results overnight. You’ll make progress so slowly that the change might feel invisible. It can take years, even decades, to achieve your wildest dreams. But you need persistence if you want to succeed. You need to keep going, no matter what obstacles are dropped in your way. You need to keep telling yourself you have what it takes.

Your hard work won’t always pay off — but that doesn’t mean you’re undeserving of greatness. That doesn’t mean you’re not enough.