Luck Is for the Lazy: How I Earned Everything I Have

For years, I heard people say to my parents, “Jacob is just so lucky that school comes so easy to him.” Every time I heard that, it ticked me off. Nothing in my life has come easy, and I don’t believe “luck” had anything to do with it. Luck doesn’t exist—what does exist is hard work, and I’ve always been willing to work my ass off to get what I want.

What people didn’t see were the nights I spent studying or doing homework after school, whenever I wasn’t at hockey practice. I pushed myself because I wanted to be at the top of my class and get the best grades. My hard work paid off—I received scholarships and early admission into numerous universities, allowing me to pick the one I wanted rather than settling for what I got. I was on the honor roll every semester in junior high, and I earned honors with distinction every semester in high school. None of that was handed to me—it wasn’t easy, and it certainly wasn’t luck.

I've always had the mentality that I need to find my peak and then surpass it. Some people have called me mad, crazy, or even strange because of how hard I push myself. But I’ve never been satisfied with “just doing enough.” I can’t cheat myself.

I remember football practice at William Aberhart High School . The coach had us running “suicides” at the end of practice. We’d start at the goal line, run to the 10-yard line and back, then the 20-yard line and back, and so on. The only rule was to touch the line every time—no stopping short. A handful of people always stopped short, but I couldn’t do that. I’d go past the line, and still, I’d beat them back. When the last person was completing their last few sets, I’d be out there running with them, even though I had already finished my reps.

One day, after we’d finished a set near the end of the season, the coach asked the team if we were done. While most of the team murmured “Yes,” I’d shout, “One more, Coach!” and start running again. Like clockwork, the coach would ask if we were done, and I’d respond, “One more, Coach!” until my legs couldn’t keep me upright.

Some of my teammates hated me for this, and others were confused about why I pushed so hard. When one of them asked me why, my response was simple: “Mentally, I know I want this championship more than the opposition, and I want to prove that I want it physically even more.”

That same team went on to become back-to-back undefeated city champions.

After high school, I carried that same mentality into university with the Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan . I did an internship during my studies, and after the internship, the company wanted to keep me employed. So, I worked full-time with Vendasta while attending the last 2.5 years of my degree with a full course load. It wasn’t easy—there were late nights filled with work, papers, studying, and learning new software—but I knew what I wanted to accomplish one day, and I was determined to get it.

It’s simple—if I want something, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Blood, sweat, tears—I welcome it all. Nothing is handed to you in life; if you want it, you need to go out and get it. The pain is temporary, but the legacy is timeless.

Luck has nothing to do with it—only relentless effort and the refusal to settle for anything less than what I want.