> worked harder than any other human alive at being funny. I don't think that's true, but I also don't think it matters, and the reason why is a very important

> worked harder than any other human alive at being funny. I don't think that's true, but I also don't think it matters, and the reason why is a very important point about the value of hard work: Hard work, misapplied, is useless. You need to intelligently apply it to be successful. Hard work intelligently applied in a vacuum is nearly useless compared to its effect in the company of accessible mentors. And very hard work for a single instant is worth nothing compared to easy work, done every day, for years on end. Hard work, intelligently applied, with the aid of mentors, over a long period of time maximizes your chances of finding something, doing something, or meeting someone that can lead to wild success. Every one of those factors comes into it, and there are likely plenty more, too. It's complex. Jerry Seinfeld is probably an extremely hard working guy. Is he the hardest-working living human being at being funny? That doesn't matter. He worked hard, he worked smart, he got help, he kept at it, and he got very damn lucky more than once. And more. Hard work was necessary, not sufficient. Just because someone else is working harder doesn't mean you've lost.