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Maybe I'm naive, but I don't think any one denies the role luck plays in one's success or not. However, to completely discard effort and determination is selli

Maybe I'm naive, but I don't think any one denies the role luck plays in one's success or not. However, to completely discard effort and determination is selling everyone short. I'm running a successful company partially because of "luck", I happened to start it at the perfect time, but also because I pour every ounce of money and time I have into it. My nights and weekends don't exist. Some people aren't willing to put in the time to turn luck into success. Telling people that success is just a matter of luck will only reinforce the thoughts of unsuccessful people to believe they're "unlucky". You are able to make your own luck to an extent.

Hasu 10y ago
This is exactly what the article is talking about. You're not acknowledging how much of your success comes from luck, you see yourself working hard and you don't like being told you're lucky. You're not only lucky because you started your business at the correct time, you're also lucky because you had the resources and connections to be able to start a company in the first place. Most people never have that opportunity. I have no doubt that you work hard and put in the hours. But part of the reason that you do that is because you've been lucky. I'm sure you know that most business ventures fail. Some of those businesses, maybe the people there didn't work hard enough, and that's why they failed. A lot of them did work really hard, though, and they failed anyway, for myriad other reasons. Many people work hard and fail anyway. That doesn't exactly encourage further hard work. You're lucky that your hard work is turning into success. The position that "You are able to make your own luck to an extent" is one of extreme privilege that can't exist without having already had loads of luck that you didn't make yourself. You wouldn't tell people starving in Africa and India that they're just not working hard enough to make their own luck, would you?
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Hasu 10y ago

This is exactly what the article is talking about. You're not acknowledging how much of your success comes from luck, you see yourself working hard and you don't like being told you're lucky. You're not only lucky because you started your business at the correct time, you're also lucky because you had the resources and connections to be able to start a company in the first place. Most people never have that opportunity. I have no doubt that you work hard and put in the hours. But part of the reason that you do that is because you've been lucky. I'm sure you know that most business ventures fail. Some of those businesses, maybe the people there didn't work hard enough, and that's why they failed. A lot of them did work really hard, though, and they failed anyway, for myriad other reasons. Many people work hard and fail anyway. That doesn't exactly encourage further hard work. You're lucky that your hard work is turning into success. The position that "You are able to make your own luck to an extent" is one of extreme privilege that can't exist without having already had loads of luck that you didn't make yourself. You wouldn't tell people starving in Africa and India that they're just not working hard enough to make their own luck, would you?

deleted 10y ago
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