No, things didn’t happen just because you worked hard

Here is a short 2 minute reminder on how lucky you are, beautiful human reading this. Yes, you have gone to school / finished that degree / got that job / paid off that loan / earned that car / raised that child. But it is good to stop sometimes and acknowledge that:

It is not really feasible for a young person to “work hard” enough to own a house nowadays, like it was a generation ago.

No matter what you think, genetics and social environment affect one’s stamina and confidence. Even though it might seem that someone has the same chances you have; no person will handle one situation the same.

Some people are born into debt and struggle and in some countries, no matter how much you work, you are limited by your gender, social status and race.

If your life is currently going smoothly (and let’s face it, if you are reading this from your smartphone or a laptop in bed or on the train to work, it is probably smoother than you think), don’t fool yourself that you got there only with your skill and genius. Although I believe that you are doing the best you can, it is really important and humbling to appreciate the luck of timing, luck of location, luck by birth right.

Maybe it is an unsettling truth for the privileged, but there will be a 100 million people who are trying harder than you and won’t even be able to eat tomorrow, or go to cycle in the park tomorrow, or see their kids smile tomorrow, or go on a “oh-so-deserved” holiday tomorrow or maybe ever.

If you ever struggled and now you are doing awesome, account for a degree of random luck in your life and don’t forget to help out the ones around you who might not get that roll of a dice.

❤