The Truths & Faults of Kim Kardashian’s Advice on Hard Work + My Real Tips for Student Success

Hi friends, it's Nathan, a second-year pharmacy student studying at the University of Waterloo, but currently doing my hospital placement in the surgery department. Welcome to my channel, and welcome back to my channel. On March 9th, Variety Magazine released an interview done with Kim Kardashian where she gave business advice. Now, she really thought she did something, but instead of inspiring others, her tone-deaf and privileged advice angered many. Here's the video. I have the best advice for women in business. Get your ******* ass up and work. There can be a real problem with telling others to work hard or work harder, as if there aren't students that are studying hours a day just to become first-generation college graduates or a single mother that is working two full-time jobs to support her family. But in the same essence, laziness will not get you anywhere, and hard work is still crucial for success. There are many moving parts to this inspiring yet toxic statement that has been amplified by hustle culture. In the study community and entrepreneur community, which I am in both, I see this word thrown out a lot, and I wanted to unpack the faults and truths of this idea of hard work. In this video, I'm going to react to the interview and break down everything that she's saying. Information from public figures needs to be evaluated. We need to take into consideration who it's coming from, what have they gone through, what are their intentions in the message to actually get the full picture of it, or else you're going to be terribly misinterpreted. Throughout the reaction and in my final thoughts at the end of the video, I will be providing my own advice on work ethic that actually takes into account people's privileges, people's circumstances. So I hope you learned something from this video, so let's watch some Kim K. I have the best advice for women in business. Get your ******* ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days. Okay, so get your ******* ass up and work is not actually bad advice. It can actually be very motivating. If I need to get something done, I will wake up early. I will put away my phone and just get started on what I need to accomplish that day. You're not going to be productive if you're working in bed, if you're constantly checking your phone. So that in itself is true. You've got to get up, you've got to be ready to work in order to do work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days. The second part is more complex because we have to remember where Kim is coming from. The people on her social level are very rich, often because of generational wealth, meaning they don't need to work, yet they can still live very comfortable lives. An example would be Stassi Baby or Anastasia Karanikaloa. I think that's how you pronounce it. Anastasia Karanikaloa. She's Kylie Jenner's best friend. She doesn't necessarily do much, yet she is able to live a very luxurious lifestyle. That's what Kim sees. Kim isn't seeing the student that is smart enough to get into Harvard, but because he's taking care of his brothers and sisters, he can't study for his SATs. Kim isn't seeing the unemployed single mother that is applying to 20 jobs weekly, but getting denied from all of them because she didn't have the finances to finish her college education. And that is something we need to remember whenever we're receiving advice from an insanely successful and wealthy individual. You have to surround yourself with people that want to work. Have a good work environment where everyone loves what they do because you have one life. No toxic work environments and show up and do the work. Okay. Having a support system that motivates and inspires you is absolutely important. If you're surrounding yourself with classmates that are not passionate about learning, don't care if they fail, and are all play, then guess what? You're going to become that individual. If you're surrounding yourself with colleagues that are not actively trying to exceed company targets, guess what? You're not going to get promoted. She then says to show up and do the work, previously referring to the fact that we have one life, and this has truth in it. My parents are immigrants, and when they came to this country, they didn't know anyone. They didn't have a support system, so they had to rely on themselves. It was their willpower, their drive that allowed them to obtain a college degree without having English as a first language. It was the same willpower and drive that allowed them to develop their careers in a workplace where everyone looked at them with a title of visitor. What I learned from them is that if you want something done, do it yourself. It's great to have external assistance. Don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day, you know yourself best. You know what goals you have. You know the lengths that you will go to achieve those goals, and that has to be your motivator. You have to be the one cheering yourself on because no one else can do that for you. So many people can cheer you on, but if you don't believe in yourself, then it means nothing, and that's what Kim is saying. You have one life. You've got to show up and do the work. That's really putting the emphasis on yourself. You're the smartest person in that room. You've got to go to another room. I want to be around really successful people because that's going to drive me to be successful. A lot of people get intimidated to be in a room full of smart thinkers, wealthy people, whatever it is. I want to be in that room because it also scares you to want to be. It motivates you and inspires you. I'm like, I gotta hustle. I love what Chloe says. It probably is the best advice this whole interview. Being in the presence of your teachers and professors, those that are more knowledgeable than you, is how you're going to learn. Finding a mentor is how you're going to professionally develop in the workplace, and regardless of your socioeconomic status, there is no shortage of wisdom in this world for you. Obviously, our contacts are not going to be as elitist as what the Kardashians have access to, but we don't have to take it to their level. I have learned the greatest lessons from those around me, my friends, my family, from you guys, my viewers, from my teachers, from my colleagues, and all these people are considered pretty normal. Another amazing resource is books. You can learn so much knowledge from books. Hi friends, I hope you're enjoying the video. On the topic of books, I want to tell you about Shortform, who has kindly sponsored today's video. I know that for many of us, we all have the goal of reading more books, but for some reason, it just feels like we never have the time to, and that's where Shortform comes in. Shortform provides the world's best guides for non-fiction books. They provide detailed summaries that includes all key ideas. They have interactive exercises and even insights and analyses for you to better understand the content of the book. I've heard so many great things about the book Atomic Habits, but I've really been putting it off just because it's so dense, but with Shortform, I'm able to view a one-page summary and get a main idea, a high-level overview, and if I wanted to, I could dive in deeper into specific chapters where they have more analyses for me. Also, many of you will know that I started reading The Defining Decade a few months ago. It's been an amazing read. However, it does get complex at times just because there's a lot of psychology in it, and I don't have a psychology background, so that's when I go to Shortform to help me understand what the author is trying to tell me. They have exercises that allow me to put what I read into action, so here I am just filling in my goals on a worksheet that they provided. One concept that I wasn't really grasping but I finally did because of Shortform was the growth versus fixed mindset. For example, if you have a growth mindset and you're struggling with a subject, you believe that your skills and talents can improve through practice and knowledge. Versus a fixed mindset, you either believe you're dumb or you're smart, one or the other, which results in you giving up easier and feeling more shameful and feeling more saddened by your outcomes. Overall, a very thought-provoking read. I highly recommend you check it out. The platform covers a multitude of genres. They have work, productivity, health, and relationships, which are my favorite topics that I know many of you guys enjoy reading about as well. Shortform publishes new books and articles every week, and as a subscriber, you have the power to choose which book they cover next. To get five days of unlimited access and 20% off the annual subscription, use my link here or simply click the link in my description box. They're the same. Doing so will give you access to thousands of book guides for the price of one book a month. Thank you, Shortform, and let's continue on with the video. But all the people that I mentioned, those are the ones that have inspired me to put in the work, to become a better person, to achieve the goal that they know that I'm able to achieve. Chloe, that was pretty good advice. Let's continue. So this is where it starts to get pretty toned down. I'm a content creator on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. You should definitely follow me on all those platforms. There'll be a link in the description box below. But I know that doing social media takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of effort. I can spend days editing a YouTube video. Posting on Instagram requires a front, and it definitely can impact mental health. And of course, coming up with ideas for TikTok takes thought. Social media requires work. But is it harder than someone that is a factory worker or someone that works as a social worker in a group home? Absolutely not. There was this one influencer that said they have the hardest, easiest job. And I think that is true. What influencers do often doesn't require any taxing physical labor. Many influencers didn't need to pursue a college education, yet they are still able to live very comfortable lives. So in that regard, yes, it's definitely easier than someone who works 40 hours a week, maybe working even two full-time jobs. That number even increases. And I also find it a little bit ironic too because she's talking about social media, but I'm pretty sure that she doesn't manage any of her accounts. It's her assistant doing it. She doesn't edit. She doesn't post. You know, she takes the photo, but it's her assistant that actually posts it. So yeah, that's a little bit ironic, but let's continue on. It's still a job. It's still hard. And success is never easy. So just put in the work and go. A lot to unpack here. This is the end of the interview. The first part is true. Success is never easy. By definition, success is accomplishment. And you need to put in the work to accomplish something. You can only accomplish something by doing an action. Therefore, being born into a rich family or being pretty isn't actually success. Yes, Kim was able to use her resources and privileges to build a brand, to build a business. And the business is representational of success. KKW Beauty and Skin, that's what's made her a billionaire. But she had to put in the work to build those businesses. When Kim first started, there was no way that she would reach the level of success she is now. She really had to be proactive and keep being innovative and develop products that people liked, that people needed, that people wanted in order to reach the level of success and financial ability that she has now. The second part about equating work and results is very, very damaging. And this is the whole idea behind the American dream. And the American dream is the idea by which equal opportunity is available to every American, allowing for the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. But as we see in society, this can be more of a lie. You can study for hours and still fail your test. You can sacrifice everything for your small business and still not have a payoff. If you don't have the resources, it's very hard to get those results despite all of your efforts. Hard work can only take you up so far. The rest is connections. Luck can also play a role in it. But the one thing that I learned from my parents is that putting in hard work will always be better than if you hadn't. You will never regret trying. You will never regret hard work. So that's the end of this very controversial interview. I wanted to provide my final thoughts just to wrap this all nicely and give you my advice on work ethic that actually takes into account people's privileges and people's resources. Like I said, I am a pharmacy student. I have worked part-time while being a student. I also run my YouTube channel. I'm a content creator, so I do a lot. I do think that I can provide some pretty good and realistic advice for you guys. One, if you want to be successful, you absolutely have to work hard. That is a given. You were told that by your parents. You were told that by your teachers. And just because it's being told by Kim Kardashian, who is a public figure that is controversial and obviously very, very wealthy, doesn't change the fact that hard work is important. But the one thing that we need to remember is that success will look different for everyone. The success that Kim Kardashian has been able to achieve, 99.9% of the rest of the world will not be able to replicate. And we need to stop comparing ourselves to her. When the interview first came out, in the comments, I saw everyone was comparing their circumstances to Kim's circumstances. And by comparing, they were unable to actually listen and hear what Kim was trying to say. I don't think Kim's intentions were cruel. I think that maybe in the moment she didn't fully think about how to be received by the general public, hard work cannot be faulted. But if you keep comparing yourself to her level of achievement, of course you're going to feel as if your hard work isn't being validated. Your hard work isn't paying off. When you're looking at something so unattainable, something so unachievable, of course it's going to make you feel poorly about yourself. So stop comparing. Your success could be going from a C- to a B+. Your success could be landing a minimum wage job after weeks of unemployment. Your success could be being promoted to a role that allows you to further exercise your passion for a cause. Number two, Kim and Khloe said you need to surround yourself with people that support and inspire you. If you don't agree with their lifestyles, then take their advice and unfollow them. There is no shortage of inspiring people in this world. We've got Michelle Obama, Bill and Melinda Gates, and so many other fantastic figures that are making real differences in this world. So take them as your mentors. Take them as a role model and really learn what they're doing and how you can emulate that. Number three, you have to focus on yourself. Your journey is going to be different than the person beside you. Your gifts and talent will be different than the person beside you. You may have more adversity than the person living in a gated neighborhood, but you also may have more resilience and drive than a person who never had to work in order to ensure food on the table. I will always be so incredibly proud of anyone that puts in work despite their circumstances. Don't ever let anyone invalidate your efforts and you are capable, you are powerful, so don't ever forget that. If you enjoyed the video, please make sure to give it a like. Let me know in the comments what you thought of the interview and if my perspective and take on what Kim has said changed your opinion. Let me know. If you want more study advice videos, study vlogs, then make sure to subscribe and hit the bell icon so you get notified every time I post a new video. And if you want to see more day-to-day content, make sure to follow me on Instagram at nathan.lu. You guys have been showing me so much love there and I've been having a blast making these funny relatable student reels. You can also find me on TikTok at itsnathanlu, but that's it for me and I will see you friends in the next video. Bye!