The Power of “Hard Work”: Why Hard Work Matters – By Evelyn Chen

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” — Robert Collier 

Hailing from a small-town, traditional Chinese family, my brother and I were brought up knowing what hard work means. My parents and grandparents exhorted that we work hard at home and at school and that success was only possible through effort. There were no shortcuts; you either worked hard or you failed! 

Our daily routine was simple: wake up, get ready for school, go to school, study hard, come back, clean up, do homework, do house chores, do more homework, get ready for bed and sleep. Day in and day out, except for Sundays when there was church! As we grew older, the amount of house chores grew with us and before long, I was waking up at a “godforsaken time” to get chores out of the way so I could go about my daily business. 

Being a girl, I was expected to do a lot more compared to my brother. This was because traditional Chinese families believe that women, no matter how clever, would only end up being married and staying home to take care of their families. Even our school decided for the girls they perceived as “not-so-clever”. These girls were taught home science, which involved cooking and sewing, whereas the most likely to be successful students were taught science, commerce, carpentry and accounting. 

I didn’t believe in that old-fashioned way of thinking. But I didn’t fight the system at school because I already had my own system to fight at home; one that I felt was an abuse, haha! Studying hard was tough enough, but having to add on house chores was just too much, in my young mind. But negotiating in a Chinese family is like talking to a brick wall. The system has been in place since the Chen Dynasty, haha and the obduracy made it difficult for me to change their mindsets. 

So, I continued to work hard at home and even harder in school because there was no way I was going to compromise education for being a housewife. And vice versa! I was determined to do both and do both really well! There was no two ways about it; it was a done deal. 

But what no one told me was that hard work was really tough. Being a scobberlotcher was not an option. Quitting was not a word in our dictionary, there was no one to help when I was in trouble and perseverance is a long and tough journey. But you do it, day in and day out! You take small steps, but you take that step. You may not know how to do something, but you do it anyway, a little at a time and before you know it, you will have achieved something great with time. It is that small effort you put in every single day until you succeed. 

I have now blended into this system of hard work. In fact, I am indefatigable. I still wake up early to get all my chores out of the way so I can work and give the best version of myself. I cook, I sew, I clean, I study, I read, I work and I try to be the best colleague to the people I work with. Could I have settled for being just a housewife or a corporate person? Many have asked me that. Yes, maybe! I don’t disagree but why settle for one when you can have both? 

YOU ONLY NEED TO WORK HARDER!

 

Words to learn: 

hailing – have one’s home or origins in (a place) 

exhorted – strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something 

commerce – the activity of buying and selling, especially on a large scale 

carpentry – the art and trade of cutting, working, and joining timber 

obduracy – the quality or state of being stubbornly inflexible, unyielding, or refusing to change one’s mind, opinion, or course of action, often in a way that is unreasonable or negative 

compromise – an agreement or settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions 

vice versa – with the main items in the preceding statement the other way round 

scobberlotcher – an idle person 

indefatigable – (of a person or their efforts) persisting tirelessly

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