Pig, you're confusing working hard with working smart.
A man pays you $50 to cut his front lawn. You can work hard and cut it with nail clippers or you can work smart and cut it with a lawn mower. Working hard in this case won't put food on the table.
NEVER EVER work for someone who expects you to work hard. Work for someone who expects you to work smart.
Mmmm.. Well I wanted to keep this discussion pretty open, because I like to read different perspectives on this, but that's not quite what I mean.
Here is an example of what I was thinking of:
Joseph has always dreamed of being a great pro-baseball player, from his childhood up until the present. Except now he is 35, and has never even made it to the minors. He has forgone any of the normal pleasures of life in favor of dedicating himself full-time to baseball, but the hard work has never paid off. Joseph has tried every available method to improve, but he's never passed beyond mediocre. His life has been entirely baseball focused because all he wants is to play at a professional level, but realistically that's not going to happen. He does not have any interest in coaching, reffing, or any other peripheral activities. All he wants is to play in the majors and be great.
What can he do? He can keep trying into his 70's, doing laps, practicing his swing, etc - but it won't ever pay off.