Fibs and Fables
I don't believe in luck. it's irrational, it's unpredictable, and I believe it's fundamentally antithetical to the idea of working towards something. My favorite quote from a book of all time is from Aldujous Huxley's Point-Counterpoint - “Everything that happens is intrinsically like the man that happens to.” I like believing in one’s own capacity to dictate their fate, no matter how rare the instance of success or happenstance is.
Let's take a fairly simple example. Imagine that it's a snowy day outside and you go outside to enjoy the unexpected weather. And let's pretend that you make a sudden decision to try to catch a snowflake on your tongue. What would you do to have to catch that snowflake? You would have to dodge back and forth with your mouth wide open and try with all your might the snag one of those elusive snowflakes. Compare that to someone who barely moves around and doesn't open their mouth wide while standing still, expecting snowflake to land in their mouth without any effort. Who has the better chance of achieving their desired goal? If the former you attains their goal, is that version inherently luckier?
Silly examples aside, it highlights my current stance on the idea of “luck” - that it only appears for those that are actively trying to snag it and for no-one else. Luck is that sliver of opportunity that opens for a brief moment as is really only achievable for those already poised to dive in. For everyone else, that sliver isn't even discernible and it'll likely never leave a mark on their lives. But for those that invest time, effort, concentration, failure, and much more in the search of that luck, those opportunities will be far more noticeable and ultimately more snag-able.
This also means that from my perspective, labeling something as "lucky" is somewhat dismissing the amount of effort and investment that someone has put in getting to that point. That person was lucky to get the promotion, lucky to get scouted for a position, lucky to achieve their own success. But nothing falls into anyone's lap unless you're the fabled virgin Mary. All outcomes are the product of preconditions, and the precondition of all forms of luck is hard work and faith.
What do you think? Am I being too practical, too mired in rationale? Or do the impossible really occur? Let me know your thoughts below.
I agree with you, @ and I like the analogy you put forward. Luck does not come alone! We have to make an effort to get it there. If you wait for the snowflake to fall in your mouth, you will wait longer than the one who comes out to look for it. I leave happy with this thought. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the comment @nonechangeles!
The only thing that falls from the sky is rain, @hansikhouse! If you want something, go out and get it. Fight for it. Certainly some people have it easier than others, but that does not mean that they have stood by with their arms folded waiting for what they wanted. The idea is to work for what we want and the more we work, the more successful we will be.
Right on @baselogoo!
Sometimes I feel like there's a bit of luck in life, @hansikhouse! Some people are born with a lucky star and some grow up starry. Obviously to be successful not everything is luck, there must also be work. I mean, if you're lucky and you work hard, things will come quicker.
Really agree with you. In short, result never deny effort. Like opportunity prepared to those who are ready!
Always need to be prepared!
The universe is governed by law, not luck.
Amen @timothyb!
Well @hansikhouse
I quite agree with you that we have the power to dictate our own fate. However, sometimes you see people who are just succeeding effortlessly without actually doing much. What can we say of such? I guess they are just lucky or?
@eurogee of @euronation and @steemstem communities
I would wager that those people make it seem effortless but actually put a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes and below the surface.
“Chance favors the prepared mind” they say :) But I do believe in luck. Especially in meeting the right people in the right place at the right time.
You've got to put yourself in the right place at the right time for when those right moments happen to happen!!
Of course :) but the luck element is that you have no control over that. You can’t know when the right moment happens or where the right place is :)
Snowflakes are visible and more predictable in that sense ☃️
Sort of agreed. My best friend still calls me a RNG god.
When we were younger my other friend created this image of me
I had to admit:D cards (not only in-game) often played in my favour. But as your article implies, lot of the time it was just the dedication and effort that helped me.
Anyway in oldschool RPGs, luck usually referred to a chance of getting a positive reaction after an action that can lead to both. Surely we can find a real life example of opening a chest that can either blast you off or net you significant amount of gold. It’s purely up to RNG. Doesn’t real life have RNG? Is my friend making it all up?
Real life definitely has RNG, but again, those moments only come to those that are actively striving for something. RNG doesn't exist if you're not holding the controller!