I used to think that earning money wasn’t important, but later I realized that even the stars and the sea require tickets, and pursuing poetry and distant places isn’t cheap either. In this high-pressure society, it seems that if we don’t work hard, we can’t even afford to pursue our aspirations.

When you hear this, I wonder what kind of feelings you have. Before writing this article, I want to ask you three questions.

If you didn’t have a job, how much money would be in your bank account?

If your parents got sick and needed money, could you handle the pressure?

Have your past aspirations and dreams been realized?

Actually, what I want to say is that ideals are very noble, but reality is quite cruel.

I once had a friend who worked as a teacher for 5 years. In the eyes of others, it was considered a happy thing for a girl to have a stable and decent job. However, after 5 years, she resigned and chose to start a business. Some people said, “She’s a foolish girl. Why give up such a good job to mess around? Is she out of her mind?”

If you haven’t experienced hardship, you have no right to judge others’ lives. Yes, everyone has it tough, everyone’s life and family are different. When asked why she chose to resign, her answer was, “Because I don’t want my parents to struggle with money every day.”

After working for so long, one day her mother was hospitalized due to a serious illness and needed surgery. The cost of the surgery was a huge burden for her, so she had to borrow money from friends everywhere. In the end, she even spent all her savings.

After that experience, she had a new plan and understanding of her life because she knew how unbearable it was to see her parents sick and be unable to help.

Life is like this, half dark and half beautiful. But if you don’t step out of your comfort zone, your life can only stay in one place. When life hits you hard, you can only be at a loss.

Do you envy successful people who wear designer clothes, drive luxury cars, and go to high-end hotels? Of course, we all envy them. No one can say they don’t care about money. But behind every glamorous facade, there is suffering that you can’t endure.

Behind every person’s success is a process of tempering. Without crying in the long night, it’s not enough to talk about life. Those who understand life and still love it are the real strong ones.

When you were young, people often asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Perhaps we all had various ideas. Some said they wanted to be teachers, some said they wanted to be doctors, and some said they wanted to be useful. Ideals have no fixed answers. When we don’t need to struggle for life, everything seems so beautiful.

But as we grow up, we find that our parents are no longer our support, and school is no longer our haven. Those things that seemed easy before now require a hundred times more effort to obtain. Is reality cruel? Of course, it can destroy a person, but it can also make a person start anew.

Later, we realized that noble ideals and talking about money may seem vulgar, but if we don’t work hard, we can’t even afford our aspirations. The little pleasures in life are not cheap, and leisure time also requires an equivalent effort. What we dreamed of as children may not be the same when we grow up.

Some say, “The meaning of effort is to have everything and everyone you like in the future.” This statement is not wrong because effort is not for others, but for yourself.

The older you get, the more you understand the importance of material things because behind you are your parents, and ahead of you are your children. Only when you face enormous pressure alone will you understand how difficult life can be without money.

Everyone’s starting line is different. Some are born with a silver spoon, while others struggle their whole lives and still don’t reach the starting point of others. Society is cruel, but it is also fair. It won’t let down anyone’s efforts, nor will it bestow blessings on those who only appear to work hard.

You reap what you sow. Those bits of happiness require tremendous effort. Do you envy the days of dining extravagantly and staying in luxury suites? But can you endure the suffering of others?

Life is diverse, and everyone has a different life. Some say, “You can’t have the best of both worlds,” but I think that as long as you work hard enough, it’s possible.

Noble ideals and aspirations are admirable, but in fast-paced life, material things are also indispensable. Life is not a fairy tale. Things that seem effortless actually require enormous effort behind them.

Some may think that talking about money is vulgar, but a life without discussing money is difficult. Parents need money when they get sick, children need money for education, and even your aspirations and dreams can’t be pursued without money.

Everyone yearns for a good life, but impractical talk serves no purpose. Life is a competition, and each person’s competitor is themselves. Only when you become stronger will life get better. Noble ideals, talking about money may seem vulgar, but if we don’t work hard, we can’t even afford our aspirations.