Does Luck Play an Important Part in Success - Essay Example

Luck and Success. Topic: The relationship between luck and success Purpose: The purpose of this discussion paper is to understand the relationship, if any, between luck and success. Never before has there been so much discussion and arguments concerning luck and success. When a person does well for instance, is that luck or success? Indeed Branson (2014) comments that ‘luck’ is one of the most misconceived and underappreciated factors that affect human beings. Luck is seen as something that has to do with chance: fair chance. Success on the other hand is the achievement of set objectives, aims or goals. When a person is able to reach his goals in life, such a person is considered to be successful. In retrospect, when a person meets his goals and emerges successful, he is also considered as having been lucky. So at what point can one be said to be lucky or successful? This paper delves into a discussion about luck and success. Thesis Statement: There is a thin line between ‘luck’ and ‘success’. Often these are concepts that are confusing, mostly because it is difficult to discern situations where either of them applies. In other situations both success and luck come into play, thus making the discernment even more difficult. This paper takes the position that ‘luck’ and ‘success’ are two distinct concepts yet related. I. According to Bradson (2014), there is a thin line between success and luck. To some people, you are successful if you are lucky, while to some you are lucky to be successful. So which is which? Bradson (2014) argues that success, unlike luck, is a result of hard work and determination. Smith (2014) on the other hand argues that for every success, there is an element of luck. Smith (2014) believes that in life, one can control outcomes. Indeed to some people, they view success as an end product of being lucky. Perhaps an example would suffice: Suppose a young man developed an App which he later sells for a fortune of a lifetime. Would such a young man be said to have experienced success or was it mere luck? A. Holtzclaw (2014) believes that consideration of a person as being lucky is not consistent with the amounts of time and energy spends before someone becomes successful. The outcome of success is controllable. Success is measurable but not so much for luck. As such, a claim that one is ‘unlucky’ is to presuppose that people have no control over success and therefore renders it an excuse for lack of success. Smith (2014) argues that success is an end product of three things; actions that one can control, skill and then luck in that order. B. Understanding luck and success is important because these are things we encounter every day and yet we seldom take time to realise how much they affect our daily lives. The two concepts give us a better comprehension on how our thoughts and actions co-ordinate together to inform our inner thoughts and perceptions in life. C. I intend to discuss the two concepts and how they relate to our daily lives. I intent to give examples that will help differentiate between luck and success. I want my audience to understand clearly how the concepts of luck and success shape their mind-set and eventually influence their actions. II. There is a need to be in a position to distinguish between luck and success. A. The main problem that most people encounter is that they are not able to discern, from their experiences, where the line that separates luck from success is drawn. B. Unfortunately, luck and success subconsciously affect the way we reason and perceive different good things that happen in our lives. C. This problem is very common in our society today to the extent that some people blame themselves for not doing well in life. D. The spill-over effect of this lack of understanding is that some people end up developing low esteem out of constantly watching others advance in life. III. What needs to be done is to draw a clear-cut line to differentiate between the two and also to try and understand how they are related. A. A good example in entrepreneurship suffices. Such new ventures are usually marred with uncertainty and risks. But for one to be successful, one must expose himself to these risks and uncertainties in the hope that he will be successful. Branson (2016) argues that those that are considered ‘successful’ or ‘lucky’ in life are also the same who usually bear the greatest risks. They are also the ones who are willing to commit their time and energies in order to achieve their objectives. He further argues that it cannot be a coincidence that those who are unwilling to take risks are often the ’unlucky’ or unsuccessful ones (Branson, 2016). The diagram below attempts to illustrate the idea that life may perhaps be a mixture of failure and success based on chance. (Branson, 2015) While success can be measured, luck on the other hand cannot. According to Frank (2015), there is no known way of ascertaining luck. It is as it luck is a creation of our conscience; that if we succeed then it is good luck. We therefore tend to associate failure with bad luck. Brandau (2014) identifies a number of reasons why, in his opinion, success can be distinguished from luck. First, success involves taking a bold step out of a person’s comfort zone. A successful person does not just end up with success by just sitting doing nothing. Success is synonymous with tough decision making. Second, success involves implementing of decisions and ideas. Success is built and achieved progressively. There is a Swahili saying that goes: “Ukiona vyaelea vimeundwa” (if you see nice things, know that they have been worked on). Creation and inventions often are success stories of people who thought, then implemented their ideas. Third, at some point in time, a successful person had to risk sharing his ideas to others: with the difficult part involving having to convince these same people to support your ideas. Before the realisation of success comes the bearing of risk (Frank, 2015). Nothing could be closer to the truth. Fourth, a successful person had to persevere at some point. People with success stories have tremendous amounts of will power and perseverance. Success requires that you keep working on it even when situations are tough. All these things are measures by which success can be assessed and gauged. B. The examples above help to differentiate the difference between the two. They help make a distinction between them and their applications in life. C. A good combination of hardwork, ambition, good judgment and luck could change a person’s life. While the merits of ‘luck’ may not be measurable, controllable or even determinable, chance and luck are game changers in life. Conclusion IV. This discussion paper has delved into the relationship between luck and success. A. The paper has argued that although luck and success are two different and distinct concepts, events in life somehow interlock them. The paper has established that luck can be inherent based on how a person has positioned himself in life. Success however doesn’t come cheap. B. It involves hardwork, ambition and commitment to pursue set goals. It requires a focused and well-directed effort. References Airon, A. (2014). What makes you Successful? Luck, hardwork, Focus? Or Something Else? Bradson, R. (2014). The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership. Portfolio Publishing: London. Brandau, C. (2016). Building a Prosperity Mindset. Available at www.successconscienceness .com/guest­_articles. Accessed on 23 March 2016. Branson, R. (2016). Success from Hardwork is not ‘Luck’. Portfolio Publishing: London. Frank, H.R. (2015). Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy. New York: Cornell University. Holtzclaw, E. (2014). 5 Reasons Why Luck Has Nothing with the Success of your Business. Available at www.inc.com/eric-holtzclaw-enterprenuer/htlm. Accessed on 24 March 2016. Smith, R. (2014). Skill, Effort or Luck? What is more important for Success? Available at www.forbes.com/sites/risksmith/2014. Accessed on 24 March 2016. Watts, D.J. (2012). Everything is Obvious. How Common Sense Fails Us. New York: Crown Business. Read More