Classic point and inspirational post, by Mark Suster, about luck and hard work:
Rapid success stories happen, true. But the reality is that most "overnight successes" come at the end of years of hard work and those witnessing the "success" part too readily assume the "overnight part."
(...)
Nothing comes easy. There are few overnight successes in life. The best companies struggle - just not publicly. And the harder we work, the luckier we get.
Do you really get luckier the harder you work? I can think of a few cases where working hard won't lead to luck (for example, if you're working on the wrong thing).
But the right kind of work on the right kind of thing will multiply the opportunities that come your way. If you are able to spot those opportunities, it will feel like things are moving your way. Couple that with better experience seizing those opportunities, and you have so-called "luck".
I'm a firm believer that we are all surrounded by countless opportunities to "get lucky" to a practically miraculous level. But we are blind to most of those opportunities and, even when we see them, we fail to capitalise on them. Feeding your mind with interesting things will teach you how to spot opportunities. Doing certain things (for me, for example, blogging) will multiply the opportunities that come your way. Finally, working hard will teach you how to seize the opportunities effectively.
Be sure to do all three.
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