When Effort Pays Off: My Personal Journey

The saying hard work pays off is a very popular phrase that praises the need to put in good effort so as to get the right results we desire, but then if we're being honest with ourselves, we'll agree that sometimes, regardless of how much we try or invest our effort, things won't just go as planned; many of us have invested time, energy, and resources into something, yet met with disappointment in the end. While I understand these struggles and how they sometimes want to stab out perseverance, we must understand truly hard work still pays off, and to buttress that, I'd be sharing my personal experience that showcases how my efforts paid off.

I remember a few years ago when I was desperately in search of opportunity after having to quit my job so I could come stay with my sick brother at the hospital in Kwara State. After he was discharged from the hospital, I was roaming around from one office to another submitting applications and sitting for interviews, but at the end of the day, nothing seemed to be forthcoming. Fortunately for me, on a fateful evening around 6:30pm, I was called by a strange number informing me that I was to come for an interview the next morning in Lagos State for a job I had applied for three years prior to that very day.

I was caught off guard and unsure of how to travel that far on short notice. I mean, Kwara to Lagos usually takes about six to seven hours, looking at the time I'd arrive. If I happen to begin that journey at that odd hour, for a moment I thought about turning down the opportunity, but something inside me told me to give it a shot, and so I did and so I packed all the necessary documents and left Kwara for Lagos overnight to attend the interview, and due to the absence of a bus, I even had to spend the night at a Moto park in Ibadan before I could get another bus going to Lagos.

Despite the fatigue, I managed to arrive at the location just in time for the interview and went through all of the necessary procedures, I walked into the interview room, going from one segment to another, from oral interview to written, and scrutinizing the documents I presented. It was a pleasant feeling when I received news on the same day that I was amongst those who passed the interview, making me feel that definitely the stress, exhaustion, and perseverance that kept me going despite the uncertainty were all worth it, because had I not pushed myself through that journey, I would have missed that very opportunity that was a blessing and an answered prayer at that point in time.

And fast forward to present day, I'm presently working at the place I went through all of those struggles for, even though most times I'm not pleased with the pay or treatment meted out in my profession, yet I can't help but say that my efforts that very day yielded the exact results I had in mind.

Overall, I understand it's quite easy for us to see failure and conclude that hard work is pointless, but we must understand success tends to come to those who, despite setbacks, keep on pushing, and success stories like mine are what someone out there needed to strive harder, keep persevering, and I can assure you that if you don't stop trying, definitely your effort will pay off when the time is right.

All photos are mine.