Success doesn’t just happen. Show me an “overnight success” and I’ll show you someone who worked hard for a long time to enjoy what seems like overnight success. True success usually only is possible where someone has put in the proverbial 10,000 hours to master their craft or business.

Hard work and investing in yourself pays off, in the long run. If you aren’t willing to put in the time, your chances of success are minimal to none. You also have to know that working hard doesn’t guaranty success, but it provides a better chance. It breeds luck and opportunity.

Ask any successful sales person how many doors they knocked on or calls they made before becoming successful. The answer will be “a lot!” Then you will hear stories about how doing so turned into success. The common theme will be about the knock or call that became a big sale, or a connection to a number of other sales. Sometimes it was the knock or call they almost didn’t make when they felt like calling it a day. When you are willing to put in the time, there’s a better chance “luck” will be on your side.

This type of investment in and commitment to whatever you are doing gives you the best chance to succeed. I have heard story after story from people in different industries or businesses who tell similar tales where people think their success was immediate when it wasn’t. What those asking don’t realize is the time and energy these people invested in themselves leading to that success, and the failures they experienced along the way.

That’s right, most successful people have endured failure during some point in their career. You know the saying, “you learn more from failure than success.” This is true. Sometimes you work hard and fail. When this happens you need to pick yourself up, take time for self reflection to learn from the experience, and move forward.

That is the usual route most of us take, working through small successes and small to large failures on the road towards success. Again, hard work doesn’t guaranty reaching your idea of success, but it provides the foundation to give you a better chance.

Ask most successful people you know and you will hear a good story about what it took to reach where they are. What may surprise you is these same successful people continue to try to improve. They know that gaining success is only part of the journey. You also have to continue to work hard to maintain success.