Hard work is the real wealth of a man. No one can achieve success without working hard. Hard work is the key to success. Hard work always pays off. Hard work can turn sludge into gold. Laziness and sluggishness make one’s life a mess and only hard work can turn it into something extraordinary. If we do not study hard, we cannot do well in the exams given. People can achieve their goals only through hard work. Roads, buildings, malls, and etcetera, are all made possible through the hard work of others. Painters, writers, poets, musicians, to mention a few, are rewarded on the basis of how hard they work. Some people give more importance to luck rather than hard work. And later on, when they fail, they blame luck, which is absurd. What can luck do if a person is not ready to work hard? Nature also works hard. The sun rises every morning and sets every evening. Birds and animals work hard to get their food. Wealthy people did not achieve that through laziness, they invested time and energy. A lazy person is a problem to him/herself. The poor can gain wealth and become rich by working hard. Hard work can also help curb unemployment and other problems in life. We can learn from the great personalities of our own country. If H.E Paul Kagame and the other great leaders of our nation had not worked hard to fight for the country, where would we be? The achievements of great men, like our President, are evident. Fred Gisa Rwigema, a Rwandan soldier, is one of our heroes— he embodied courage and patriotism. Hard work is challenging but not impossible. We must never give up the spirit. A hard working person is honest, dedicated and committed to their work. Their struggles are taken with passion and strength. We must have an optimistic look towards everything and the spirit of never giving up, as only then will we achieve our goals. We have to make sacrifices, because what we do is not for nothing. So, work hard as hard work always pays off. Nshuti is an aspiring writer in S6 at Lycée de Kigali The “Aspiring Journalists” initiative is a partnership between UNICEF and The New Times, encouraging young writers to develop and demonstrate their skills while spotlighting topics which are important to young people across Rwanda.