Which Brings More Success in Life: Hard Work or Intelligence?
Last Updated on July 12, 2022
It’s a common narrative that success comes from either having the right intelligence or working really hard. Research shows us that most people believe it’s one or the other. We see this belief play out in books and movies all of the time.
People with poor intelligence are frequently presented as struggling because they lack the intelligence necessary to succeed, whereas people who overcome problems as a result of their hard work are also few. But the most successful people, however, have achieved great success by balancing these two competing priorities, and it has nothing to do with chance or privilege. Instead, success is directly related to the amount of effort we put in in addition to our innate intelligence.
The Two Most Important Factors In Success: Hard Work Or Intelligence?
Hard Work is Not Enough
Successful people are often also very intelligent people. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are successful because of their intelligence. This is because it doesn’t account for other important factors that contribute to one’s success.
For example, an individual with lower intelligence might have worked extremely hard towards a particular end result—but failed due to a lack of intelligence.
A classic example of this is intelligence, and aptitude, tests that are administered by reputable companies around the world. These tests measure one’s aptitude for certain tasks and jobs. Ultimately, there are a lot of jobs and tasks that people can excel at even if they don’t have the natural intelligence for it.
In other words, just because someone doesn’t have the innate intelligence for a certain task or job doesn’t mean they can’t excel at it. It just means that they need more time and effort to get there.
Intelligence is Not Enough
While hard work is essential in any type of job or career, there are many other factors that are important too.
For example, there are many careers that demand high levels of intelligence. Although working hard can help you get to an average level, it may not be enough to get you to the top. And, even if you could work hard enough to outsmart all of your colleagues, you would still need to prove that to others and have them recognize your ability. This means that at some point, you may need to rely on intelligence to get ahead.
Additionally, hard work alone may not be able to propel you to the top of your field. Even if you are working extremely hard and outperforming your colleagues or your competitors, they may be the ones who get promoted or succeed due to other factors beyond hardwork or intelligence like seniority or other political reasons.
Due to this, you may find yourself stuck in a dead-end where you are unable to achieve your goals. Intelligence and hard work individually can help you get to an adequate level, but it may not be enough to propel you to the top. This is the reason why having them both is the key.
Hard Work and Intelligence Together is Key
While hard work can help us succeed in any career, no matter the level of intelligence required for it, it can’t help us if we don’t have the intelligence for a certain task. On the other hand, intelligence can help us excel at tasks that require substantial mental effort, but it doesn’t ensure that we can succeed in them without proper hard work.
Hence, in order to succeed in life, we need to have a certain amount of each. Additionally, these two factors must be in balance with one another so that we can work efficiently. It’s important to understand that neither hard work nor intelligence alone will guarantee you success. Rather, it’s the combination of the two that will help you rise to the top.
Winding up
Hard work and intelligence go hand-in-hand when it comes to success. When these two factors are combined in the right amounts, they can help you achieve anything in almost any field.
However, this requires a lot of effort on your part. You’ll have to use a combination of your natural intelligence and ability to work hard in order to achieve success—no one can do it for you.
