Kids are meant to believe that their stepping stone to massive

Children of tomorrow, listen well, for the words of Iain Duncan Smith strike like a bell in the quiet night: “Kids are meant to believe that their stepping stone to massive money is ‘The X Factor.’ Luck is great, but most of life is hard work. We do not celebrate people who have made success out of serious hard work.” This saying is no mere passing phrase—it is a lament, a call, and a warning. It speaks of an age where the bright glare of fleeting fame blinds the eyes of the young, and the quiet, enduring fire of hard work is left untended. It grieves that we have taught children to seek fortune in sudden luck, rather than to forge greatness through years of labor.

Consider the ancients, who knew well that the path to honor is carved by sweat, discipline, and perseverance. The Greeks crowned their Olympic victors not because they were born by chance into strength, but because they trained under the sun, bled upon the sand, and rose again when they fell. The Romans honored the farmer and the soldier alike, for each knew the dignity of toil, of bearing hardship without complaint. Yet now, in our age, we raise on high the spectacle of instant triumph, promising glory without the burden of endurance. This is the illusion of the stage, the dangerous mirage of effortless gain.

Luck indeed is a wondrous companion, a spark that can lift a man higher than he ever dreamed. Yet it is fickle and fleeting. To build a life upon it is like building a house upon sand, which the winds scatter with ease. It is hard work that roots the tree deeply into the soil, that holds fast when storms arise. A man who depends upon luck alone is like a sailor without a compass, tossed wherever the waves desire. But the man who works, who labors day and night with patience, builds not only wealth but strength of spirit.

Let us remember the story of Thomas Edison, who did not stumble upon the lightbulb by accident, but by thousands of failures endured. He declared, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” What greater testimony could we need? His name endures not because fortune smiled on him for a moment, but because he pressed on when others would have surrendered. The world now walks in light because one man chose work over luck. This, children of the future, is the power of toil.

And yet, in our time, we glorify the fleeting champion of the talent show, the singer who rises overnight and falls forgotten in a year. We cheer the lottery winner, yet ignore the builder who rose from poverty by ceaseless labor. This blindness dishonors our ancestors, who taught that man is ennobled not by fortune but by endurance. We have abandoned the celebration of true heroes: the mothers and fathers who labor in silence, the craftsman perfecting his skill, the scholar burning the midnight oil. These are the unseen giants upon whose shoulders society rests.

The lesson is clear, my children: do not place your hopes in the lottery of life, nor in the fickle favor of judges or crowds. Seek instead the path of steady labor. Wake each day with purpose, sharpen your craft, and let patience be your constant friend. Remember that each small effort compounds into greatness, and that the truest success is not sudden but earned, not loud but lasting.

Practical wisdom follows: set your hand daily to some task of worth. Learn a skill, refine it, and be faithful in small things. Guard your mind from the poison of envy, for it whispers that fortune owes you more than your effort has earned. Celebrate the humble victories: the essay completed, the skill mastered, the day’s labor done well. Over years, these seeds will yield a harvest greater than any fleeting show of luck.

Thus I say: honor hard work, honor perseverance, and you will build not only wealth, but character. For in the end, it is not the sudden star who endures in memory, but the one who toiled and left behind a legacy that no wind can scatter. This is the eternal law of life, handed down from ages past—heed it, and you will walk the path of true greatness.