Sample TOEFL Essay Luck or Hard Work

Sample TOEFL Essay Luck or Hard Work The QuestionDo you agree or disagree with the following statement? “When people succeed, it is entirely because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with their success.” Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.Special Offer: TOEFL Essay Evaluation and ScoringYou can now sign up to have your practice essays evaluated and scored by the author of this web page. Its a great way to learn how you will do before test day and how you can best prepare for the test. Sign up today.The Sample EssayWe have all heard stories about people who have achieved success in their life, and we often wonder how they did it. Personally, I believe that success is only the result of hard work and perseverance. I feel this way for two main reasons, which I will explore in the following essay. To begin with, success is always the result of hard work over a long period of time. Success happens gradually, and only after a series of correct decisions and small victories. A stroke of luck, in contrast, is generally perceived to be a one-time event. The experience of my uncle, a successful entrepreneur, is a compelling example of what I mean. Since 2005, he has run a very profitable technology firm which manufactures and sells a wide range of products. His business started very small when he invested his savings to develop and market a single product and hire his first employee. When that product became popular, my uncle compounded his success by introducing new products and gradually increasing the size of his company. His company later grew from a single employee to include a staff of dozens. While my uncle might have been lucky at one stage of his company’s growth, the long-term success of his firm cannot simply be the result of good fortune.Secondly, success is usually the result of careful planning, research and education, all of which require a lot of work to achieve. For instance, some people said that my uncle was lucky when his initial product offering was succ essful. However, he was confident that his product would be a hit even before he started manufacturing it. This is because he spent thousands of dollars on market research and focus groups. It was this investment of time and money, not luck, which assured the early success of his business. Likewise, when his small firm merged with another firm just before that company rose to prominence some called him lucky. However, my uncle had spent weeks interviewing the research and development team at that company and predicted their success based on what they told him. Had he not been confident of their potential, he would not have completed the merger. Again, this victory was the result of diligence rather than luck, despite what some observers say about it. In conclusion, I firmly believe that success comes as a result of hard work. This is because success takes a lot of time to achieve, and it also required very careful planning. (423 words)