What do you want to be? “Successful”.
What do you mean by ‘Successful’? “I think everybody defines success differently.”
Do you think Success is a Real or Abstract concept? “Definitely abstract. It could even be all in the mind.”
So, do you think it’s enough to work hard to achieve ‘Success’? “Sometimes, hard work isn’t enough. There’s definitely a factor of luck involved.”
What do you mean by ‘luck’? “You know, luck. It’s kind of a bonus in your destiny. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to achieve things, sometimes you’re not.”
My coffee had gone cold and I gaped at my friend across the table; an MBA degree holder, he was the best amongst us all at Logical reasoning. It was highly puzzling to hear what …show more content…
Well, I don’t. I fail to agree with the highly acclaimed role of luck in us becoming successful individuals.
‘Luck’- An Institution Created by Society
I may sound like a hardcore and radical minded person (and no, I wouldn’t mind that!), but there are some institutions of thought that have found root in our society from early ages. These trains of thoughts have grown over time like the branches of a climber tree, getting well ingrained into the thought pattern of our society. One such (atrocious) institution of thought is ‘Luck’. ‘Luck’ has miraculous powers but ‘Luck’ chooses who to be with; so not everybody is ‘lucky’.
‘Luck’ is a Fallback Excuse for Failure
In our Indian society, there are a couple of statements we hear being flung around at every social event. One common cause for overwhelming concern for all aunts and uncles is which institute your child gets accepted at. (This one needs no explanation!) “Oh son, have you cleared IIM Ahmedabad?” Upon hearing that the child had not, Aunty will gleefully reply by default that “Oh, you weren’t lucky enough this time, but you should try again next year.” This reassurance from a ‘well-wisher’ is False. If the candidate had worked hard enough, he would have gotten through. Yet, we prefer to pin the blame on an abstract concept such as ‘Luck’ over and over again. ‘Luck’ is blamed for when you don’t get a seat at your favorite college; ‘luck’ is also blamed when you don’t get …show more content…
They would like to believe that it is nothing but ‘luck’ that separates them from successful people; in such a case, since ‘luck’ cannot be acquired externally nothing can be done for their situation. They will forever remain cursed and ‘unlucky’.
Nothing angers me more! His Riches should be attributed to the amount of sweat and blood that he has spent over the years. It is proof of his ability. It is proof that circumstance or ‘luck’ cannot tie you down when you are clear about what you want to achieve.
My Beliefs about ‘Luck’
Now, I’d like to reiterate a couple of my beliefs:
• Luck is an abstract concept
• Luck cannot be measured or scaled
• Luck has no fixed definition
• Luck is not the deciding factor in our lives; our initiative, hard work, sensitivity, interpersonal skills, ability to perform well in our circumstances are the deciding factors.
• Luck is a lame excuse for failure to perform
• Luck is a society-spun concept; romanticizing the inability of a person.
• Luck does not have the power to make or break you. So, how about that as some food for