You do not need hard work in order to succeed.
Sure, there are people who swear up and down that hard work is critical to success. Some of these people have succeeded. Hard work worked for them because they believed hard work was necessary.
There are also people who succeed with ease. They will tell you their success came through a clear, compelling focus, a commitment to win-win, good-feeling thoughts, and the habit of always doing the most compelling action. These people are harder to find than the other people. This is true not because they are rare but because the “hard work” folks seem to be louder.
Of course, the choice is 100% yours. Both ways can work. Which will it be for you?
In your corner,
Mike
PS: The opposite of hard work, by the way, is not idleness. It’s more like play.