My Most Controversial Opinion: Hard Work, Scholarships, & Kim Kardashian
01. Controversial Opinion Time (Fun!)
When Kim Kardashian fixed her lips to tell people to “get their ass up and work” the world told her to take her advice and shove it up hers. The immediate uproar from the internet wasn't surprising. Not only was Miss Kimberly's delivery insanely harsh, but her rise to fame and wealth was not what many consider to be hard work. The Kardashian clan was the worst group of people to deliver this message, but I do believe that there is a bit of truth to it. Now before we prep the guillotine for my head, give me a second to explain.
My most controversial opinion is that hard work and strategy are some of the best ways out of a bad situation. Not the “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” rhetoric pushed by conservatives, but rather more of a pragmatic approach to problem-solving. I grew up with a distant alcoholic and drug-addicted father that caused as much chaos as he could in the very little time that he was in my life. My mother was a single mom that only had time to work to keep food on the table. That left me as a first-generation college student with very little guidance and zero clue on how to pay for college.
Fortunately, I was able to gain freedom and financial security in my life by starting the scholarship process so I could then go off to college and increase my earning potential. When I wanted to start my own business and become a content creator, I followed the same process of just biting down and doing the work.
I get a lot of comments from students that list excuses of why they can’t start scholarships and it drives me mad because I wish they could see their potential. I would never use my story to downplay the struggles that other students face. Lord knows students are going through similar struggles and even worse. However, I realized at age 13 that no one was coming to save me from financial insecurity and a chaotic household. If I wanted a better life, I needed to fight for it.
02. Why Kim K Got Kicked in The A**
When you share this mindset with others, you’re often met with the same anger Kim Kardashian received. It’s important to note that in this interview Kim wasn’t addressing the general public but rather female business owners. When asked what women in business should do to reach success, that is when she delivered her infamous, “get yo’ ass up and work” moment. As a female business owner, you are against extremely tough odds that you must fight every day to beat. Being in a position where you can take the risk to start a business is a privilege in itself. So if you’re putting your neck on the line, you have to be willing to put in the extra work to succeed.
The one huge asterisk I would slap on Kim’s statement is that hard work is not the only element that guarantees success. This is why she shouldn’t have been so quick to take a condescending tone when delivering her advice. Kim Kardashian was born into wealth and connections that the majority of women will never have access to. Her snide remark about people seemingly not wanting to work anymore was laughable coming from someone in a position of her privilege.
Beyond that, hard work can be useless without a good strategy behind it. Imagine you’re stuck underground and you spend day and night building a tunnel in the wrong direction. Work as hard as you want but you’ve already missed the mark.
03. Applying This Theory to Scholarships
This is often something I see with students that have started scholarships but are seeing zero success. It’s also the same experience I had when I first started scholarships.
Success with scholarships comes with a good strategy. So don’t just knock out applications left and right with no thought, but rather use each application to learn something new.
For example: (What you should be asking yourself as you do scholarships)
Knock out your first essay then get a second opinion on it.
Got rejected from that application?
Go back to the scholarship and see if they announced the winner. Learn more about their story and see if they shared their essay. How does it compare to yours? How can you take certain elements from their essay to strengthen your writing skills?
Get more feedback. Write more essays. Focus on scholarships where you’re more competitive.
And if you have the time and capability, work on yourself so that you can be more competitive.
What clubs and organizations will show off your passions, personality, and unique skills?
What interesting stories or parts of your identity can you share in your essay to help you stand out? How can you improve your ability to pitch yourself?
It’s all a process, which is why I refuse to tell students that earning scholarships can be done with the click of a button. It takes hard work, strategy, and a bit of finesse. This is why I create free resources to help guide students through the scholarship process.
04. Looking at The Bigger Picture
When I first started my scholarship platform, I was very gentle with how I would talk to students. “Just do what you can. Take your time. No pressure! No rush!” And it’s not that this is bad advice. It’s just that, for me, it’s dishonest. I got to where I am today by applying pressure to myself so that I could grow. It’s not about stressing yourself out to the point of being sick and burnt out, but rather gradually building up your workload so that you can accomplish big things.
I teeter between feeling like I can do anything in this world and then feeling like the weight of the world is crushing me. I feel intense impostor syndrome when advising students because, as a perfectionist, I often don’t see my accomplishments as notable. But I graduated debt-free in a world where the average American is buried in student debt. So my final advice is that if you don’t want to be like the average person, you can’t move like the average person. You have to make smart decisions and that is going to take hard work and strategy.
05. Final Thoughts
As a child, you're not at fault for the unfortunate circumstances that happen to you. As you enter adulthood, it does become your sole responsibility to create the life you want. I could blame my parents' choices and let those excuses stop me. Plenty of people would understand if my life went to all hell because I had such little support from my parents. At the end of the day, however, I’m the only person that would have to suffer through a hellish life of my creation. Therefore, I’d rather push myself beyond what I think I’m even capable of to create what I want.
I don't push this mindset on other people because this life isn’t for everyone. But if you do feel called to do more, I urge you to follow that calling. You will fail along the way. It will suck. But that is exactly what it takes to be successful.