Lately, I’ve seen a phrase floating around social media:
“If hard work led to success, the donkey would own the farm.”
It’s often posted alongside slick content glamorizing passive income, online trends, and shortcut culture framed as if it’s some sort of mind-blowing truth. But let me be clear:
This message is toxic.
It’s also flat-out wrong and dangerous to a generation already facing discouragement, disillusionment, and a distorted view of what real success looks like.
Yes, hard work alone doesn’t guarantee success. But if you remove hard work from the equation entirely, you have no shot. None.
Success whether in business, life, or relationships requires a formula. In my experience, it looks something like this:
Hard Work + Vision + Strategy + Grit + Time = Success
You can’t subtract one of those elements and expect to thrive.
Remove strategy? You’ll work hard and go in circles.
Remove vision? You’ll burn out chasing someone else’s dream.
Remove work ethic? You’ll have big ideas and no execution.
It’s like a gun and a bullet neither is effective on its own. Together, they have power and direction. Success is the same.
In my own life, hard work came first. Before I had a clear vision. Before I had strategy. Before I even thought about “owning the farm.” I just showed up. I worked long hours. I was on time. I did the dirty jobs others didn’t want.
I was the donkey.
But that donkey learned. That donkey paid attention. That donkey grew.
And today, after 16 years of running All Nation Restoration here in Austin, Texas, I can say with confidence:
That donkey owns the damn farm.
Hard work wasn’t a waste it was the gateway to learning everything else I needed to succeed.
If you’re reciting this quote like it’s a deep insight, let me offer you a reality check:
You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Stop glamorizing laziness. Stop idolizing “hacks.” Stop pretending you’re building a business because you’ve got a Shopify page that hasn’t made a sale in six weeks.
Instead, go find any job you’re capable of doing. Show up early. Stay late. Learn the trade. Be humble enough to be the beginner. Be willing to be the donkey.
Then build.
That’s how real businesses are built. That’s how people gain the skills and confidence to lead, grow, and eventually succeed. Not by chasing trends but by becoming dangerously competent in something real.
Yes, hard work without direction won’t get you far. But hard work is often the thing that leads you to direction.
It’s in the work that you gain clarity.
It’s in the grind that you find purpose.
It’s in the long days and early mornings that you begin to own your life.
Don’t fall for the idea that success is luck, inheritance, or trickery. It’s earned. And yes it’s hard.
Hard work isn’t outdated. It’s not laughable. It’s not for suckers.
It’s the foundation of every meaningful thing I’ve ever built and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
So yeah, maybe I’m still a donkey. But this donkey owns the farm. And I built it brick by brick.
And as always…Stay Strong, Stay Focused, Stay in Business
