Hardwork Doesn't Always Pay Off Big

They always say that hardwork
pays off much,
that's why you have to do it every single time.
If you want to get somewhere,
then hardwork will take you there.

Sidewalk Vendors, Plastic Straw Peddler, Buko Juice, Bottled Water And Yakult Vendor, Jeepney Driver, Newspaper Vendor, And Taho Peddler - They do hardwork but earn little.

​It means giving most 
of your time, energy and effort.
It also means a lot of money
and will give you a comfortable life,
being able to afford all the material things.
If you work in a company
or if you have your own business,
hardwork will certainly make you wealthy and rich.
So they say.

But not all the time.
There are jobs that require 
so much of your time, energy and effort
but still give you little.
And there are businesses 
that make you awake day and night
and still never take you anywhere.
Even if they say that
hardwork is the key,
many times it does not apply.

Here are some of the jobs and businesses
that eat up your time, energy and effort
without rewarding you with the money 
you long and wish for
no matter how hard you try:

The Jeepney Driver - A whole day of driving the same route over and over again just let him earn few hundred pesos in a day because he still has to pay for the rented jeepney. Fortunate if he owns the jeepney because it makes him earn hundreds of pesos more. 

The Jeepney Driver

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The Taho Peddler - This man carries taho (soft/silken tofu with sweetener and sago pearls) in these heavy tin containers around the streets for many hours before it sells out earning just a few hundred pesos.

The Taho Peddler

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The Buko Juice, Bottled Water And Yakult Vendor - If he's lucky enough to sell all his products, then he can also earn few hundred pesos in a day.

The Buko Juice, Bottled Water And Yakult Vendor

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The Newspaper Vendor - This man will earn less than the others above for newspaper readers often buy just one and share to friends. And nowadays, newspapers sell much less than before because the news are all over social media.

The Newspaper Vendor

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The Plastic Straw Peddler - This old man also walks around the city a lot offering his straw to potential customers in the market or anywhere else. He'll be lucky if customers buy in bulk. But still, a whole day of work will not give him much.

The Plastic Straw Peddler

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The Sidewalk Vendors - They spread their products in the sidewalks but sales are not that impressive, and if they be sold out, earnings are just enough to survive.

The Sidewalk Vendors

These people know
hardwork from morning to night
is not a guarantee of abundance.
Everyday is a struggle
that hardly makes ends meet.
Their jobs and small businesses
take a toll on their health
and when they get old,
they will no longer do so much. 

I am about to say "it's sad", 
but I'd rather say "not bad at all". 
This is life. 
Being rich and living comfortably 
maybe life for some, 
but for many, 
it's hardwork with little pay. 
And if you're happy and contented 
even with having little, 
then you have a good life then!