Originally Posted by Red__Zed

I think people are conditioned to believe they can't work hard and have fun, but you will find most successful people balance them. There are a lot of hours in the day, and if you work to use them optimally, things tend to turn out better.

As much as we are trained to believe that hard work==success, it is just one of your tools to get there. Getting in the door to most jobs/promotions comes from having people like you. I don't promote capable people, I promote capable people that "get it" -- and one of the best ways to learn social skills is interacting with a ton of people in a ton of environments. Obviously, you still have to be good at your job, but there are plenty of geniuses stuck back in the back labs.