How much has luck got to do with how your life turns turns out. l

Logical Fallacy · 20-04-2012 07:25PM

foxyboxer wrote: »

Died at 56? Not lucky after all.

He died at 56 because he made a very ****ing stupid decision when he found out he was ill.

And he got to where he was by being a total bastard.

So yeah, luck has **** all to do with it.

Brian Garvey · 20-04-2012 07:38PM

mariaalice wrote: »

At the moment I am reading Steve Jobs' Biography and it struck me how luck played a huge part in his life, for example being brought up in the area of California where he lived as a child, the kind of adoptive parents he had, the friends he had, the school he went to basically the kind of culture he was formed in led him to become what he was. IMO Luck is the biggest influence on how your life turns out.

Im not sure if Id call that luck.
You can surround yourself, or get in contact with whoever you want if you really want to and are willing to try hard enough.
Hard work that onlookers are not aware of sometimes can be taken up as 'lucky'.
You got to try try try and keep trying. Taking chances is also important too.
You could try 100 different things, and 99 of them could fail, its the 1 that catches that makes it all worth while.
Dont think you need to be born into flash to get there - you dont.
I know a load of guys that came from nothing(more so the ones that came from nothing) that are extremely successful now after years of hard work and focus.
One guy in particular Ive met with comes from Argentina, his parents were bakers. From an early age he knew what he wanted to do, and explained that nothing would stop him from getting there if it took him 30yrs.
Well, he got there, and it did take 30yrs, his supercars now sell for 1.5m+ .
Luck has nothing whatsoever to do with what he did, and I think it would be an insult to even bring up the word.
Similar story with another Swedish guy - Christian, he and his wife had many sleepless nights, and a fire at the plant when it was young, but he continued on trying and got there too, his cars now sell for 1m+ also.

There's many more.

So do i think luck has anything to do with it, nope, but,

Hard work,
Focus,
A lot of scarifies,
A less than normal life,
Sleepless nights,
Never stop or let up,

..have a lot to do with it.

Obviously, you can say we are lucky to be here, and have enough food, and the big bang and all that stuff...but Im talking about the situation most people here are in/face at present.

BG.

battle_hardend · 20-04-2012 07:46PM

luck plays a huge part in how life turns out , i get tired of the cliche " you make your own luck " , its really silly , if you made your own luck , by definition alone , it would not be luck , merley good descision making

luck ( beit good or bad ) is a turn of events which was not earned

thier are an infinite number of examples and scenarios where luck transformed peoples lives , some more significant than others

when the band oasis turned up for a gig in glasgow back in 1993 , little did they know that a well connected music producer happened to be there and offered them a record deal , the reality is that thier are countless bands with as much talent as oasis but they didnt get the breaks

those female doctors who boarded an air france flight from brazil to france several years ago could not have known that thier flight was doomed , im sure they had studied hard in order to become doctors and foresaw a successfull medical career ahead of them

that swiss girl who was over in galway a number of years ago and happened to bump into a killer while out walking , im sure she planned to return to her own country having made a trip overseas , how many countless people her own age pay a visit to ireland and return home safely

thier are countless examples of fortunate or unfortunate unforeseable outcomes which utterly change the course of a persons life one way or another and which cannot be planned to perfection in advance

Pottler · 20-04-2012 07:52PM

Someone once said of a greek shipping tycoon, that if he was sent into a room containing 3 axes and a bag of money with six other men, all hoping to emerge with the money, he would emerge with all three axes and the money. I think determination and the force of personality you are born with play a big part...... That and Luck.

naughtysmurf · 20-04-2012 07:53PM

mariaalice wrote: »

At the moment I am reading Steve Jobs' Biography and it struck me how luck played a huge part in his life, for example being brought up in the area of California where he lived as a child, the kind of adoptive parents he had, the friends he had, the school he went to basically the kind of culture he was formed in led him to become what he was. IMO Luck is the biggest influence on how your life turns out.

Haven't read it but going by the above, if his parents gave him a good decent start as regards a decent upbringing, education, support, that can help a lot, after that... knowing what you want, hard work and a little sprinkle of luck along the way probably helped. I'm sure he had plenty of failures along the way.

A big shot is just a little shot who kept on shooting

Carter P Fly · 20-04-2012 07:54PM

I think if you are born in the first world you have had enough luck to fail or suceed as the millions and millions of others just like. Granted people having talents can also be considered a form of luck but really its all down to hard work and perseverence at the end of the day.

battle_hardend · 20-04-2012 07:55PM

Brian Garvey wrote: »

Im not sure if Id call that luck.
You can surround yourself, or get in contact with whoever you want if you really want to and are willing to try hard enough.
Hard work that onlookers are not aware of sometimes can be taken up as 'lucky'.
You got to try try try and keep trying. Taking chances is also important too.
You could try 100 different things, and 99 of them could fail, its the 1 that catches that makes it all worth while.
Dont think you need to be born into flash to get there - you dont.
I know a load of guys that came from nothing(more so the ones that came from nothing) that are extremely successful now after years of hard work and focus.
One guy in particular Ive met with comes from Argentina, his parents were bakers. From an early age he knew what he wanted to do, and explained that nothing would stop him from getting there if it took him 30yrs.
Well, he got there, and it did take 30yrs, his supercars now sell for 1.5m+ .
Luck has nothing whatsoever to do with what he did, and I think it would be an insult to even bring up the word.
Similar story with another Swedish guy - Christian, he and his wife had many sleepless nights, and a fire at the plant when it was young, but he continued on trying and got there too, his cars now sell for 1m+ also.

There's many more.

So do i think luck has anything to do with it, nope, but,

Hard work,
Focus,
A lot of scarifies,
A less than normal life,
Sleepless nights,
Never stop or let up,

..have a lot to do with it.

Obviously, you can say we are lucky to be here, and have enough food, and the big bang and all that stuff...but Im talking about the situation most people here are in/face at present.

BG.

i know someone who although having had a dysfucntional upbringing , worked his ass off at everything , he then made what should have been a progressive career move which turned out to be disastrous due to reasons completley beyond his control , he was a victim of office politics and a smear campaign by a company employee who destroyed his credibility and he ended up having to leave , it hit him so hard that he suffered a breakdown and has never been the same since , this guy was really talented but became a shadow of his former self , he wasnt kidnapped and tortured by terrorists or anything dramatic but his dreams were shattered by someone with thier own pathetic little poisonous agenda , this could happen anyone in any walk of life but most people manage to avoid such destructive situations

Agricola · 20-04-2012 07:56PM

Luck plays a role, but apart from lottery winners, almost all successful high achievers have things in common. Focus, determination, single mindedness, etc etc.

People like Jobs self torture themselves into excelling. If he had been born in India to a farming family, he would have ended up going into business selling fertilizer or some shít. And then he wouldnt stop until he was India no1 supplier of the stuff.

Bottom line is you have to have the drive or else you are going nowhere. No matter how big the silver spoon was in your mouth.

kincsem · 20-04-2012 08:00PM

Don't forget womb lotto. You were lucky to be born in western Europe, one of the richest areas in the world. You arrived having already won lots of coin flips.

"I make my own luck". Yes, if you ignore your luck.

battle_hardend · 20-04-2012 08:13PM

Agricola wrote: »

Luck plays a role, but apart from lottery winners, almost all successful high achievers have things in common. Focus, determination, single mindedness, etc etc.

People like Jobs self torture themselves into excelling. If he had been born in India to a farming family, he would have ended up going into business selling fertilizer or some shít. And then he wouldnt stop until he was India no1 supplier of the stuff.

Bottom line is you have to have the drive or else you are going nowhere. No matter how big the silver spoon was in your mouth.

if you run into a crapstorm of rotten luck , your steely determination , lazer focus and never say die spirit , quickly withers and dies , only a minority of people hit the big time and excel way beyond the average , a large majority of people leave school with a take on the world and win attitude , the majority of them by the time they are thirty are forced to settle for a hum drum , second best run of the mill life , youthfull arrogance is a powerfull force but without the breaks , it will soon exhaust itself , the super successfull carry that youthfull arrogance with them through thier life

Frank Black · 20-04-2012 08:17PM

Luck plays a huge part in how your life turns out.

Sometimes it's all about being in the right place at the right time.

Of course you have to be able to take advantage of the lucky breaks life throws your way, and be able to bounce back from the unlucky ones.

LincolnsBeard · 20-04-2012 08:19PM

Yes I had that moment of clarity upon reading Jobs' biography. That realisation of being utterly worthless.

Brian Garvey · 20-04-2012 08:44PM

battle_hardend wrote: »

i know someone who although having had a dysfucntional upbringing , worked his ass off at everything , he then made what should have been a progressive career move which turned out to be disastrous due to reasons completley beyond his control , he was a victim of office politics and a smear campaign by a company employee who destroyed his credibility and he ended up having to leave , it hit him so hard that he suffered a breakdown and has never been the same since , this guy was really talented but became a shadow of his former self , he wasnt kidnapped and tortured by terrorists or anything dramatic but his dreams were shattered by someone with thier own pathetic little poisonous agenda , this could happen anyone in any walk of life but most people manage to avoid such destructive situations

They say that one of the main turning points for true entrepreneurs is disgruntlement from previous careers, so there is hope for everybody it seems!

44leto · 21-04-2012 12:35AM

Luck is all of life, the world is a world of random events with-in chance. So some will have good chance and bad chance. I know all the clichés, you make your own luck, the harder I practice the luckier I get, etc etc.

But you are better of believing in luck as in destiny. I don't, and I have to admit that is a problem. A belief in cold random events and mathematical chance is logical, but it can be fatalistic. I tend to have a pessimistic slant on the world, that has prevented me from pursuing some things because I would say things like, "chances are slim, why bother".

But a belief in luck is open-ended its less certain, its worth a try, it may happen, you never know, be positive. And when you are you see opportunity, you get lucky.

battle_hardend · 21-04-2012 11:19AM

black francis wrote: »

Luck plays a huge part in how your life turns out.

Sometimes it's all about being in the right place at the right time.

Of course you have to be able to take advantage of the lucky breaks life throws your way, and be able to bounce back from the unlucky ones.

some unlucky events are impossible to bounce back from , some cost you your life and some have such a profound effect , that the persons life is forever changed

44leto · 21-04-2012 11:49AM

battle_hardend wrote: »

some unlucky events are impossible to bounce back from , some cost you your life and some have such a profound effect , that the persons life is forever changed

But the opposite is true, there are some lucky event which will also change your life for the rest of it.

Meet the right spouse, a big windfall a job offer.

bleg · 21-04-2012 11:59AM

It's not luck, it's probability.

battle_hardend · 21-04-2012 12:28PM

44leto wrote: »

But the opposite is true, there are some lucky event which will also change your life for the rest of it.

Meet the right spouse, a big windfall a job offer.

off course but my post was in reply to a post which implied how you must always bounce back from a stroke of rotten luck

battle_hardend · 21-04-2012 12:32PM

bleg wrote: »

It's not luck, it's probability.

probability is neither good luck or bad luck , its the likely average outcome , if im driving home at night , the likely outcome ( probablity ) is that i reach my destination , bad luck would be to encounter a drunk driver who crashed straight into me and rendered me paralysed , if i travel to new york , probability is that i will endure mildly uncomfortable seats for seven hours and lousy food , good luck is that i get an upgrade to business class and dine beside denis o brien

, a minority of people encounter extremley good luck or bad luck in thier lives

44leto · 21-04-2012 12:33PM

battle_hardend wrote: »

off course but my post was in reply to a post which implied how you must always bounce back from a stroke of rotten luck

Apologies I missed that.

I suppose (from another thread) your woman's "momentary lack of concentration".

bleg · 21-04-2012 12:35PM

battle_hardend wrote: »

probability is neither good luck or bad luck , its the likely average outcome , if im driving home at night , the likely outcome ( probablity ) is that i reach my destination , bad luck would be to encounter a drunk driver who crashed straight into me and rendered me paralysed , if i travel to new york , probability is that i will endure mildly uncomfortable seats for seven hours and lousy food , good luck is that i get an upgrade to business class and dine beside denis o brien , a minority of people encounter extremley good luck or bad luck in thier lives

Yup, it all evens out like a Bell curve.

I suppose you could argue that good and bad luck are the labels we put on extremes at either end of the spectrum but good and bad luck do not exist.

RichieC · 21-04-2012 12:36PM

No doubt about it.

We are all lucky though, being born in reletively stable and progressive part of the world. Not as lucky as the jobs or the Zuckerbergs, obviously.

Thoie · 21-04-2012 12:50PM

"Chance" might be a better word than "luck".

Dedication, determination and hard work will get you to a certain level.

Let's say there are two jobs going that look comparable. Both of them require a lot of experience and being good at what you do. It takes hard work and effort to be eligible for them. There is an element of chance to which one of the jobs you accept/are accepted for.

Now, 10 years down the line, you're still in the company, have progressed in your career and are pretty senior there. Where chance comes in is that one of the companies invented something that became very popular. The other company invented something similar at the same time, that sells well, but didn't become that popular. The invention had nothing to do with your area - it was chance that you were working in the company when it happened. One of the companies is paying 3 times as much as the other for the role you're currently in.

Some people might consider the person being paid 3 times more to be "better" or more successful, however both employees are equally qualified and have worked equally hard - by chance one of them ended up in the right place at the right time.

K.Flyer · 21-04-2012 12:56PM

Seachmall wrote: »

I firmly believe that at least to some extent you do create your own luck.

As in, who's more likely to get lucky and be successful,
Person A, who sits at home playing games all day.

Or
Person B, who goes mixers to meet like-minded business people.

If Person B meets someone who invests in his business you could say it was lucky that he had that chance encounter, and it was, but he made himself available to get lucky.

I go along with this theory as well, although there can be other aspects as well. Being capable, willing and able to do your work well everytime. Having a positive mental attitude towards your work, your life and other people.
But in a very simple term you have to get up off your Arse and make it happen.
"Good Luck" does play a part in it as well but without some of the above you wont have much of it.
Regarding "Bad Luck"
As an 84 year old woman once said to me "... its not how you fall down in this life, its how you pick yourself back up"
We can all have good or bad luck it depends on how you deal with it.

battle_hardend · 21-04-2012 01:03PM

bleg wrote: »

Yup, it all evens out like a Bell curve.

I suppose you could argue that good and bad luck are the labels we put on extremes at either end of the spectrum but good and bad luck do not exist.

i presume you mean it evens out for the worlds population because many individuals encounter a disproportionate level of bad luck and good luck

good and bad luck most certainly exist , to suggest otherwise is not only silly , its outright callous

battle_hardend · 21-04-2012 01:07PM

Thoie wrote: »

"Chance" might be a better word than "luck".

Dedication, determination and hard work will get you to a certain level.

Let's say there are two jobs going that look comparable. Both of them require a lot of experience and being good at what you do. It takes hard work and effort to be eligible for them. There is an element of chance to which one of the jobs you accept/are accepted for.

Now, 10 years down the line, you're still in the company, have progressed in your career and are pretty senior there. Where chance comes in is that one of the companies invented something that became very popular. The other company invented something similar at the same time, that sells well, but didn't become that popular. The invention had nothing to do with your area - it was chance that you were working in the company when it happened. One of the companies is paying 3 times as much as the other for the role you're currently in.

Some people might consider the person being paid 3 times more to be "better" or more successful, however both employees are equally qualified and have worked equally hard - by chance one of them ended up in the right place at the right time.

only one or a small number of people get the credit for major achievment , like i said earlier , for every ten fantastically talented musicans , only one will manage to achieve fame and fortune , in nearly all cases , they managed to be in the right place when someone with connections spotted them , to think that all those people who excel in thier field to a high degree are uniquely talented is plain wrong , thier are any amount of people who could do what company CEO,s , tv presenters and leaders of countrys do

superstoner90 · 21-04-2012 01:13PM

Well if lady luck was good to you, you could win the lotto. So its the difference between a million air and broke.

Teyla Emmagan · 21-04-2012 01:18PM

The home you are born into is the greatest piece of good or bad luck that can happen to a human being I think. No matter what potential you have yourself, how, where and who you are raised by will have the biggest influence on your life. It's like the caste system in India, nothing but blind luck what one you are born into, but it will determine your entire life.

battle_hardend · 21-04-2012 01:28PM

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

The home you are born into is the greatest piece of good or bad luck that can happen to a human being I think. No matter what potential you have yourself, how, where and who you are raised by will have the biggest influence on your life. It's like the caste system in India, nothing but blind luck what one you are born into, but it will determine your entire life.

under the caste system in india or under the recent aparthied system in south africa , it doesnt matter how hard you work , how dedicated you are or how possitive an attitude you possess , you can only get so far

Mr.Biscuits · 21-04-2012 01:34PM

Luck / Chance plays more a role in our lives than we would like to acknowledge as believing everything happens for a reason gives (some of) us comfort and a sense of security.

The truth is that the most trivial of instances can alter your life forever or even end it.

How much has luck got to do with how your life turns turns out. l

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