The Role of Luck in Life Success • Hacker News Board

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#91

Post by jhayward » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:28 PM UTC

elnygren wrote: post #2

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.

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?

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#92

Post by petra » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:37 PM UTC

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #71

oldcynic wrote: post #28

Of course after someone has achieved success they put it down entirely to innate worth, effort, skill and so forth. Likewise plenty who have deserved success have been wiped out by unlucky timing of the dot com bust, credit crunch, fraud. Yes persistence pays, but however unpopular it might be around here, we are nearly all one or two rolls from disaster - be that business failure, major illness, or whatever, that ca…

I'm not that convinced about the hard work part, it strikes me it's a hangover from the protestant work ethic. If you can't achieve something in 40 hours a week why would adding another 20 make much difference. If anything it might make it more difficult. I think I'd phrase it as you need work and luck.

Also the ingredients of hard work, I.e. preservance, energy, focus, etc are themselves dependent on luck - having the right genes, growth environment , health , etc - so that's another type of luck.

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#93

Post by ss2003 » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:38 PM UTC

logfromblammo wrote: post #88

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet there are plenty of people that work very hard without reaching that goal.

I think that the point was that everyone can make conscious choices that will lead to millionaire status. Avoidable mistakes can derail that, but cautious living can eliminate the luck factor. Anyone born in the US, regardless of social status or ability, can become educated as an electrician, gain work experience up to master status, then incorporate as a subcontractor business to employ both less-experienced and le…

That's quite a straw man universe you live in.

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#94

Post by raleec » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:40 PM UTC

Apologies 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.

Removing, for the moment whether or not "Free Will" exists...

What can anyone choose that isn't based on prior experiences; Experiences that they couldn't control?

What can't be attributed to luck?

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#95

Post by skookumchuck » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:42 PM UTC

Every detail that happens in one's life can be attributed to luck. However, one's choices and effort are what enable one to recognize luck when it appears, and take advantage of it.

After all, what are the odds of success for a person who smokes dope and watches TV all day, compared with someone who gets an education and is out there swinging every day?

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#96

Post by internetman55 » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:42 PM UTC

Antimachides wrote: post #81

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not that convinced about the hard work part, it strikes me it's a hangover from the protestant work ethic. If you can't achieve something in 40 hours a week why would adding another 20 make much difference. If anything it might make it more difficult. I think I'd phrase it as you need work and luck.

You can work softly, not getting as much done in the same amount of time of working hard.

And you can overexert yourself in the same amount of time, leading to deterioration in the rest of your life and eventually handicapping even your ability to work hard. I feel like this is a quite complex issue and I'm not really sure why so many people try to give one line advices on it.

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#97

Post by skookumchuck » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:43 PM UTC

oldcynic wrote: post #28

Of course after someone has achieved success they put it down entirely to innate worth, effort, skill and so forth. Likewise plenty who have deserved success have been wiped out by unlucky timing of the dot com bust, credit crunch, fraud. Yes persistence pays, but however unpopular it might be around here, we are nearly all one or two rolls from disaster - be that business failure, major illness, or whatever, that ca…

Luck won't happen to you if you don't get in the game. Getting in the game means getting out there swinging.

Getting in the game is a choice you make.

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#98

Post by skookumchuck » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:46 PM UTC

petra wrote: post #92

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not that convinced about the hard work part, it strikes me it's a hangover from the protestant work ethic. If you can't achieve something in 40 hours a week why would adding another 20 make much difference. If anything it might make it more difficult. I think I'd phrase it as you need work and luck.

Also the ingredients of hard work, I.e. preservance, energy, focus, etc are themselves dependent on luck - having the right genes, growth environment , health , etc - so that's another type of luck.

Claiming that working hard is "luck" is an absurd excuse for not bothering to try.

The vast majority of people in the US are healthy and the environment in the US is the most conducive in the world to success. Stop making excuses.

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#99

Post by internetman55 » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:46 PM UTC

juanmirocks wrote: post #55

And then the problem is that we are biased to believe that the winners did almost everything right, and the losers did almost everything wrong. Often is chance. Having said that, those who persevere, by definition are more likely to succeed. They have more changes. "The harder I work, the luckier I get".

Maybe I have a stronger intrinsic work motivation than most people, but I seem to get luckier when I slow down, assess the situation, and start making simple but sometimes extremely emotionally difficult changes.

Re: The Role of Luck in Life Success

#100

Post by RobertoG » Fri, Mar 02, 2018, 7:48 PM UTC

skookumchuck wrote: post #97

oldcynic wrote: post #28

Of course after someone has achieved success they put it down entirely to innate worth, effort, skill and so forth. Likewise plenty who have deserved success have been wiped out by unlucky timing of the dot com bust, credit crunch, fraud. Yes persistence pays, but however unpopular it might be around here, we are nearly all one or two rolls from disaster - be that business failure, major illness, or whatever, that ca…

Luck won't happen to you if you don't get in the game. Getting in the game means getting out there swinging. Getting in the game is a choice you make.

"Getting in the game is a choice you make."

If you are lucky enough to make that choice ;-)