“Hard work always pays off.”

No, it doesn’t.

As tragic as it is, life isn’t fair. No matter what you do, you can never do anything to guarantee the outcome you want. There is no way to ever predict what is going to happen to you. Even if you do everything in your power, you can still receive a less than favorable situation.

Sometimes, the best people around you can face unbearable hardships. Bad things can happen to good people. But in other situations, some people manage to make horrible decisions and get off without a scratch. In these situations, one can assume life isn’t fair. And they’re right. It can be infuriating to watch some people struggle while those who wreak havoc on others’ lives breeze through situations without damage to themselves. Why does this happen? It’s just life.

As much as I hate to break it to you, hard work doesn’t always pay off. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, it doesn’t matter. While you can work super hard, someone else may be able to do nothing and get the opportunity you wanted. If you spent all night studying for a test, someone else could walk up and get an A without studying, while you get a D. It isn’t fair.

Life isn’t a well thought out game of chess; it is a game of Yahtzee where all you can do is take a chance, and then hope for the best.

So what’s the point then? Why try so hard to improve your life if it could possibly be just a waste of time and energy? Life is unfair because it isn’t meant to be easy. If life was like a machine, you could put one thing in and get something else out. But it isn’t that way. It’s meant to be hard. While it sucks, all the hardships make you the person that you are. All the struggles, obstacles, and complications help develop character.

And while sometimes it may seem difficult, most things work out in the end. When a door closes, a window opens.

So I challenge you: embrace the struggle. Tackle hardships with dignity and grace. After all, you only have one chance to live. If you never try and never take chances, you’ll never know.