The world tells you how hard work and mindset makes you successful. But honestly, 80% of it is luck. Successful people don’t like to admit it – but it’s often true. Right place, right time, right people.
Hard work is necessary for success but doesn’t guarantee it. The difference is called luck. For every hard-working successful person, there are a hundred other hard-working people who didn’t make it.
If you put success into an equation, there is an X in it. That X is called luck. Remove it, and the equation fails. But when X is present, those other factors can make a significant difference.
Don’t get me wrong – there are no success stories with an immense amount of hard work and sacrifices. There are things you can do to increase the surface area of luck. Choose the right things to work on, avoid stupid mistakes etc. Sometimes, just not giving up will lead you to a stroke of luck.
The point is, the world doesn’t owe you anything. Putting in a lot of work won’t magically get you the things you want – but work hard anyway. Don’t forget to pause and reflect once in a while.
Memos by Sooraj 