I was having a discussion with one of my co-workers the other day about this and we were talking about how that hard work doesn't pay off in life. We also agreed that to get ahead in life, you have to have connections, wealth, and/or luck. Does hard work really pay off in life? And how about giving your best effort all the time? Does that really mean anything? Just look at American politics. People always say bull like "if you really work hard and do your best, you could wind up as governor or president". In reality, you probably won't unless you come from a family of wealth and/or have connections. Look at the history of presidents in America. How many of them were average joes?