4 ms·

Most people who chase wealth will not succeed. Desiring and pursuing wealth therefore seems like a path to disappointment. Doesn't it make more sense to reframe

• simonh 8y ago
  Just because not all succeed, that does not mean that success is random. Taking entrepreneurial risk is a choice, and some people do succeed and build huge businesses employing thousands of people that way. Also those that succeed tend to be very smart and hard working, so the choices they made clearly contributed to their success, otherwise being smart and choosing to work hard would not have made a difference. Conversely I have generally taken the safe road in my career, while still being willing to move on when the time was right. This strategy has served me well. I've seen others takes risks I would not have, for some it worked out well but for others it was disastrous. For example a friend had catastrophic health problems, but he was working as a contractor so it was financially disastrous too. If the same had happened to me, I was on a very generous benefits package and I and my family would have been well looked after. Individual choices really do matter. Sure you can still be hit by a bus, but most of the things that happen in our lives are tractable to mitigation strategies. Conversely luck certainly can be a factor in success, but even when it is you still need the sense to recognise it and take advantage of it, and that can often involve taking calculated risks.