There is a saying that ‘you have to work hard to get rich enough not to have to work hard.’ Well I agree but I also insist that you have to work hard and work smart to get rich enough not to have to work hard.

While many of us understand that the road to success is not easy, very few are willing to endure the hard work and pressure it takes to get there. Naturally, we are built to always take the easy way out (who wouldn’t want to) but more often than not we must condition our minds to go the extra mile in order to get to where we want to be.

Richard Branson, Daymond John, Aliko Dangote, Manu Chandaria, Tabitha Karanja, James Mwangi have had to work hard and some of them twice as hard in order to get to where they are. They began early, sacrificed a lot, never had long lunch breaks like some of you, rarely took time to go on holiday, never wasted time… they worked their socks off because they knew money and success don’t come easy. If you look at them now, they can all afford to go on holiday and have the choice not to work but some of them still do.

So what seems to be failing us?

From my experience and interacting with various young people, I believe the lack of seriousness and commitment is what fails us. We want to give up or change course the minute we face a challenge we didn’t expect.

Dedication and commitment know no limit. You need to prepare yourself to put in ‘long hours’ in the things that matter in order to succeed. I have always said that if you have tried a couple of times and seen that something does not work, move on. You have no business wasting time trying to move backwards.

One thing you must remember, success may not come immediately. It didn’t happen to me and it may or may not happen to you. Your first 10 ideas may fail, John’s first idea may be his breakthrough but you must keep trying and be committed to making it work. I kept my focus and was committed to making sure that poverty would not bind me or define my life. It was frustrating but I kept pushing. You must be willing to be patient and work like you have never worked before.

While in Kenya very recently, Daymond John of the popular entrepreneurial TV series Shark Tank, spoke on how he had no financial intelligence when he started out. He identified his weakness, found a solution and continued to work hard. You need to do the same. I said it last week in my blog that your weakness is someone else’s point of strength. Make it work for you and get others to do what they love doing (working for you) as they help you achieve your dream and be successful. It’s called working smart.

Those who are successful will tell you that in acquiring wealth and success you must work hard, work smart and love what it is that you do. You will never work hard at something if you view it as a chore or are obligated to do so. Make sure you enjoy doing it.

Finally, not everyone who works hard (at anything) becomes wealthy. You may be the most hard-working employee in the organization but you are not progressing. You need to come out and do more. It may mean leaving employment or shifting strategies, you need to create your own wealth. Use the experience you have gained from working in an organization as the foundation of your career life and go out and build the rest of it.

Take it from me; you will not become rich by being the last one to leave the office or working odd hours. Be wise! Work hard on your idea, work smart at work, be committed to accomplishing what you begin and make your situation work in your favor. Then and only then, will you attract wealth; and once you get the wealth, manage it properly and let it acquire more wealth for you.

In the end, nothing can stop the man or woman, who works hard and pursues what he is good at.