[deleted]
The Role of Luck in Life Success
141–150 of 213 posts
Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
Having a black doctor for a parent probably provides more benefit than having a white dockworker for a parent. That's the point of the comment above. Similarly for being the daughter of rich couple or the son of a poor couple.
>Having a black doctor for a parent probably provides more benefit than having a white dockworker for a parent. Sure, but having a white doctor for a parent is very likely more beneficial than both of those examples. This should not be a very controversial point.
Yes being white and rich is better than being black and rich, the point is about where benefit is coming from. The idea is that being white and rich is better than being black and rich but being black and rich is much better than being white and poor. Race, gender, all these things play a role but their influence is totally swamped by the influence of class.
Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success
#143Just read this article. Very cool how the researchers simulated the role luck plays in society with some neat models. The conclusions they reach are fascinating and counter-intuitive e.g. >"[I]f the goal is to reward the most talented person (thus increasing their final level of success), it is much more convenient to distribute periodically (even small) equal amounts of capital to all individuals rather than to give…
Sounds like 'preferential attachment' applies to luck
Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success
#144Here's my feeling on luck: You have some control over your own luck, ie. you can make your own luck.
The key is to maximize your own opportunities for luck. For example, when I heard about the very first startup school, I didn't really have the money to go to Boston. But I found a really cheap flight at a terrible time, found a floor to sleep on in Boston, and went.
And in doing that, I met Steve and Alexis and ended up working at Reddit, which made a huge difference in my life. At that point the luck that I can't control kicked in (them wanting to hire me).
But I only met them because I made it a point to find them and meet them and say hello, and it would have never happened if I hadn't figured out a way to get there in the first place and made sure to meet them.
Things like this happen all the time. I look for opportunities were I can "increase my potential for lucky things". Sometimes that means going out of my comfort zone, or asking for something that may be a bit unexpected or there is a good chance someone will say no.
Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success
#145Apologies in advance but I must confess.. I don't get it. Can someone define luck? -I didn't choose my DNA. -I didn't choose my parents. -I didn't choose my circumstances. -I didn't choose which neural pathways were reinforced based on my experiences. -I didn't choose which environmental factors altered any of my biological systems. -I didn't choose not to die in my sleep every night from an undiagnosed ailment. Remo…
I mostly agree with you.
From 12-step programs, “Accept the things you cannot change. Change the things you can”. To my mind this means, accept the external circumstances you find yourself in - especially other people (since most can’t really exert sufficient force to change other people, at least not in a positive way), and work on changing your own reactions to the world. (This is a view that aligns with Stoic philosophy btw)
I guess for me the biggest questions are:
1. What is “success”? As a Stoic, success for me should be “contentment”, which is far more likely to be achievable than perhaps other definitions of success.
2. Does free will actually exist? If it doesn’t, and our brains are deterministic, then even our reactions are not in our control.
I’m trying to focus on 1, and not sweat about 2.
Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
When are you going to stop blaming circumstance, and start looking at what you can do to improve your lot, and do that instead?
That's your perspective. I've been very lucky in my life. I was introduced to programming at a young age and found it immensely satisfying. I've been conditioned to work hard towards my goals, and have seen the benefits therein. I'm quite happy with my level of success, though I do intend to get much more. I believe that my lucky strokes have and will continue to multiply. But I also believe that anyone else with my…
> But I also believe that anyone else with my circumstances would have nearly identical results.
Then there was no need for you to make any effort. After all, success just dropped on your head.
You say you were "lucky" to be "conditioned to work hard"? I find such statements astonishing. Anyone can work hard, or not. It's a choice. Nobody is "victimized" by laziness. Jeez. How far will people go with excuses?
By the way, people who find themselves in a terrible situation, like war came and the food supply is gone, seem to discover in themselves a fine capability for hard work.
Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success
#147Apologies in advance but I must confess.. I don't get it. Can someone define luck? -I didn't choose my DNA. -I didn't choose my parents. -I didn't choose my circumstances. -I didn't choose which neural pathways were reinforced based on my experiences. -I didn't choose which environmental factors altered any of my biological systems. -I didn't choose not to die in my sleep every night from an undiagnosed ailment. Remo…
Suppose you have an identical twin (not separated form you at birth: same environment, same opportunities) who does much better than you due to some external events. Like being at the right place at the right time without you.
The difference in success between you and that identical twin could be attributed to what we might call "situational luck".
All else (those things that give you initial equal footing, making you better or less off than other members of society) would be "inherited luck" or "background/baseline luck".
I think this article is more about this "situational luck" whereby someone does much better than someone else, even though neither is from a disadvantaged background relative to the other (both have similar "baseline luck").
Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success
#148Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think most people believe that you can choose, on any given night, to study or play video games. And I think most people believe that if you choose to study then sooner or later you will succeed. And I think most people are wrong on both counts.
Studying improves your odds of success. Video games improve your odds of failure. It's your choice.
Video games could give you a reaction time and coordination that could turn out to be life-saving.
Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are not a slave to your experiences.
Your experiences is all there is, of course you're a slave to them. E: Actually I should say there are influences outside of experiences, genetics for example. But you're a slave to those as well.
And next turtle: your genetics are the encoded experiences of your ancestors...