5 ms·

You can only get lucky if you position yourself to be able to get lucky. In addition, you need that carpe diem attitude to exploit any lucky breaks. A business

You can only get lucky if you position yourself to be able to get lucky. In addition, you need that carpe diem attitude to exploit any lucky breaks. A business opportunity is not gonna magically appear if you are not constantly looking for one and you won’t be able to exploit it if you haven’t learned relevant skills and built a network.

slivanes 9y ago
Lucky I just happened to be on HN to read this comment, otherwise I wouldn't have known I needed other skills to take advantage of opportunities that arise.
empath75 9y ago
I think one has to be lucky to have talent, and the education and upbringing required to learn how to exploit that talent, in addition to having opportunities to take advantage of it. Not even getting into socio-economic challenges due to race and class.
franzmafka 9y ago
A million factors determine your trajectory long before you either do or do not prepare for this or that opportunity.
- neveroffensive 9y ago
  > A million factors determine your trajectory This is inaccurate, or at the very least, incomplete. Mainly I take issue with the use of the word, "determine". Randomness plays a huge role in the direction of a persons life, there is no denying this. However, a persons trajectory in life is only influenced by this. It's also very much influenced by choice. More importantly, there is ample evidence to suggest that choices can dramatically reduce the influence of randomness. In my mind the equation is something like this: (choices)/(randomness)=(chance of success) Where (randomness) is a constant, and (choices) increases with good directed choices and decreases with bad or indiscriminate choices.
whytaka 9y ago
One could only be so lucky to have the time and resources to be looking for opportunity.
anonemouse145 9y ago
How did you choose who your parents were going to be? What part of your carpe diem attitude helped your mom not do drugs and destroy your gestating brain before you were born? How did you bootstrap your country so that you weren't a victim of war or starvation at a young age? What part of your attitude ensured you were born into a modern society at the right time to be educated, instead of being a pre-agrarian human ancestor? What part of your free will in life ensured you'd be the sort of tech person who'd post on HN rather than perhaps an ascetic who'd be living a life of poverty on the streets of Bangladesh to combat consumerist attitudes? Would that be a wrong choice to make? That said, correlation and causation. The movers and shakers of society are likely to believe they had more control in their life. Not necessarily the other way around. But it can be helpful to envision yourself as being in control of more of your life than you really are.
- neveroffensive 9y ago
  You've brought up a lot of seemingly good points, but I feel you've conflated a lot of things here. First, I think we need to shift the discussion back to the first world. That was what the article was written about. Third world issues are outside the scope of the discussion. At least in the context of the comment you are replying to. Success is going to mean something different when you're country literally doesn't have food. No one is arguing starving children in Bangladesh should be able to be the next CEO of Google. Second, I think you overestimate the extent to which issues like, "mom doing drugs" effect the general population in the first world. I would argue that the majority of unsuccessful people in the first world have not been effected by anything worse than the standard issues which arise from being raised in an impoverished/educationally lacking family environment.
- elnygren 9y ago
  This doesn’t change what I said though does it? I never implied that anyone could do those things. The point was that you’re not automatically participating in the “get lucky to become successful” lottery.
mtgex 9y ago
You can't position yourself to be born a white male, which I believe affords the greatest advantages, and opens the most opportunities of any personal attribute you can have.
- antisthenes 9y ago
  Stop trying to make it a race and gender issue. It helps no one but the rentier class to further divide the people they are extracting profit from. What wealth 'class' you are born into has by far the biggest effect on your chance of success.
  - mtgex 9y ago
    But it is a race and gender issue. I'm not trying to divide people, just stating facts. Attaining wealth is much easier if you're born into a specific race, thus your chances of being born wealthy are directly correlated with your chances of being white. Attaining wealth is much easier if you're male. Among the many reasons are increased career opportunities in general, less chance of a stalled career because of child rearing, greater status in negotiations, etc. All I'm saying is it is incredibly lucky to be born a white male in a society which so highly values them, and try as hard you might, you can't position yourself to get that advantage if you weren't born with it.
    - askafriend 9y ago
      Stop doing this. It is a factor - no one denies that, but it is only one of many factors. You're trying to elevate one factor above others and derailing the higher conversation people are trying to have here. It's just not productive.
      - mtgex 9y ago
        Many people deny this, so I think it is an important part of the higher conversation and inherently productive to discuss. People tend to think luck is heavily about positioning yourself to succeed. I think that's true, but I also believe that the most important factors to putting you in those lucky positions are not in your control. Someone who is not already born into a lucky position has to get even more lucky to succeed. You telling me to simply stop talking about something that I believe is an important point to make is very strange.
georgeecollins 9y ago
That is a great example of confirmation bias. The person who positions themselves for luck deserves credit. And in my experience usually get it. The person who positions themselves for luck and is unlucky, is usually considered less capable.
- elnygren 9y ago
  I agree. I merely stated that it’s not automatic that you are even participating in the lottery of “becoming successful” :)
tghw 9y ago
That logic is inherently flawed because luck plays a part in each of those aspects, too. To have learned the "relevant skills" means you need to have been fortunate enough to have been provided an education. To build a network that matters you need to have access to the right people. Looking for new business opportunities is only possible if you have the resources to do. Eventually, it all goes back to who you were born as and who you were born to. Your odds of "success" are much higher if you're born as a white male in the US than if you're born as an female in rural India. No amount of effort can change those odds. That's not to say that effort doesn't play a part, it absolutely does. But a significant amount of success is supported by good fortune layered on more good fortune.
- elnygren 9y ago
  I agree but I’m not sure why my logic would be flawed because of this
snuxoll 9y ago
Right on the money. I wouldn't be in the position I am today without a dose of luck/chance, I was in the right place at the right time and knew the right people - but at the same time none of this matters if I was unable to execute and take advantage of the opportunities I was presented.
jhayward 9y ago
The luckiest thing that could possibly have happened to you was which geographic area and social status you were born to. How did you manage to position yourself for that?

slivanes 9y ago

Lucky I just happened to be on HN to read this comment, otherwise I wouldn't have known I needed other skills to take advantage of opportunities that arise.

empath75 9y ago

I think one has to be lucky to have talent, and the education and upbringing required to learn how to exploit that talent, in addition to having opportunities to take advantage of it. Not even getting into socio-economic challenges due to race and class.

franzmafka 9y ago

A million factors determine your trajectory long before you either do or do not prepare for this or that opportunity.

neveroffensive 9y ago
> A million factors determine your trajectory This is inaccurate, or at the very least, incomplete. Mainly I take issue with the use of the word, "determine". Randomness plays a huge role in the direction of a persons life, there is no denying this. However, a persons trajectory in life is only influenced by this. It's also very much influenced by choice. More importantly, there is ample evidence to suggest that choices can dramatically reduce the influence of randomness. In my mind the equation is something like this: (choices)/(randomness)=(chance of success) Where (randomness) is a constant, and (choices) increases with good directed choices and decreases with bad or indiscriminate choices.

whytaka 9y ago

One could only be so lucky to have the time and resources to be looking for opportunity.

anonemouse145 9y ago

How did you choose who your parents were going to be? What part of your carpe diem attitude helped your mom not do drugs and destroy your gestating brain before you were born? How did you bootstrap your country so that you weren't a victim of war or starvation at a young age? What part of your attitude ensured you were born into a modern society at the right time to be educated, instead of being a pre-agrarian human ancestor? What part of your free will in life ensured you'd be the sort of tech person who'd post on HN rather than perhaps an ascetic who'd be living a life of poverty on the streets of Bangladesh to combat consumerist attitudes? Would that be a wrong choice to make? That said, correlation and causation. The movers and shakers of society are likely to believe they had more control in their life. Not necessarily the other way around. But it can be helpful to envision yourself as being in control of more of your life than you really are.

neveroffensive 9y ago
You've brought up a lot of seemingly good points, but I feel you've conflated a lot of things here. First, I think we need to shift the discussion back to the first world. That was what the article was written about. Third world issues are outside the scope of the discussion. At least in the context of the comment you are replying to. Success is going to mean something different when you're country literally doesn't have food. No one is arguing starving children in Bangladesh should be able to be the next CEO of Google. Second, I think you overestimate the extent to which issues like, "mom doing drugs" effect the general population in the first world. I would argue that the majority of unsuccessful people in the first world have not been effected by anything worse than the standard issues which arise from being raised in an impoverished/educationally lacking family environment.
elnygren 9y ago
This doesn’t change what I said though does it? I never implied that anyone could do those things. The point was that you’re not automatically participating in the “get lucky to become successful” lottery.

mtgex 9y ago

You can't position yourself to be born a white male, which I believe affords the greatest advantages, and opens the most opportunities of any personal attribute you can have.

antisthenes 9y ago
Stop trying to make it a race and gender issue. It helps no one but the rentier class to further divide the people they are extracting profit from. What wealth 'class' you are born into has by far the biggest effect on your chance of success.
- mtgex 9y ago
  But it is a race and gender issue. I'm not trying to divide people, just stating facts. Attaining wealth is much easier if you're born into a specific race, thus your chances of being born wealthy are directly correlated with your chances of being white. Attaining wealth is much easier if you're male. Among the many reasons are increased career opportunities in general, less chance of a stalled career because of child rearing, greater status in negotiations, etc. All I'm saying is it is incredibly lucky to be born a white male in a society which so highly values them, and try as hard you might, you can't position yourself to get that advantage if you weren't born with it.
  - askafriend 9y ago
    Stop doing this. It is a factor - no one denies that, but it is only one of many factors. You're trying to elevate one factor above others and derailing the higher conversation people are trying to have here. It's just not productive.
    - mtgex 9y ago
      Many people deny this, so I think it is an important part of the higher conversation and inherently productive to discuss. People tend to think luck is heavily about positioning yourself to succeed. I think that's true, but I also believe that the most important factors to putting you in those lucky positions are not in your control. Someone who is not already born into a lucky position has to get even more lucky to succeed. You telling me to simply stop talking about something that I believe is an important point to make is very strange.

georgeecollins 9y ago

That is a great example of confirmation bias. The person who positions themselves for luck deserves credit. And in my experience usually get it. The person who positions themselves for luck and is unlucky, is usually considered less capable.

elnygren 9y ago
I agree. I merely stated that it’s not automatic that you are even participating in the lottery of “becoming successful” :)

tghw 9y ago

That logic is inherently flawed because luck plays a part in each of those aspects, too. To have learned the "relevant skills" means you need to have been fortunate enough to have been provided an education. To build a network that matters you need to have access to the right people. Looking for new business opportunities is only possible if you have the resources to do. Eventually, it all goes back to who you were born as and who you were born to. Your odds of "success" are much higher if you're born as a white male in the US than if you're born as an female in rural India. No amount of effort can change those odds. That's not to say that effort doesn't play a part, it absolutely does. But a significant amount of success is supported by good fortune layered on more good fortune.

elnygren 9y ago
I agree but I’m not sure why my logic would be flawed because of this

snuxoll 9y ago

Right on the money. I wouldn't be in the position I am today without a dose of luck/chance, I was in the right place at the right time and knew the right people - but at the same time none of this matters if I was unable to execute and take advantage of the opportunities I was presented.

jhayward 9y ago

The luckiest thing that could possibly have happened to you was which geographic area and social status you were born to. How did you manage to position yourself for that?