The Power of Action vs Luck
The Power of Action vs Luck
What are you waiting for? You're lucky if you do nothing. You're not lucky if you just sit around and let life pass you by. In order to grow, to improve, to change your fate, it's important that you take action. Successful people understand this and constantly work towards accomplishing their goals — a habit that is rewarded with positive results more often than not. But what strategy should we use then? Is there such a thing as luck anyway? Well, the short answer is yes — there's always some element of chance in any decision we make in life. But there's another way to look at it: we're all in control of our own lives; no one can make us proactive. The choice is always ours. Our fate is always in our hands. So the best course of action is to make a conscious effort to eventually achieve your goals. Keep a positive attitude and work towards success, and you'll find that your successes will eventually snowball into bigger achievements — like winning the lottery or getting that dream job you've been looking for your entire life.
The Power of Action
Let me paint an example out-of-context: my friend Owen was making good progress towards his goal, which had been going on for over two years. He was working hard towards it for around 10 hours a day, and the results were noticeable. He had already saved up the necessary amount to enter a fast-track program at an Ivy League University — but he still couldn't decide if he wanted to go or not. He was very close to going for it but then decided against it. It took him several months before deciding what to do with his life. A few months later, he decided to move out of his hometown, begin working in a high-paying job, and forget about his original goal altogether — or so it seems. The thing is, Owen is a very smart guy — gifted. He's already two years ahead of his class. He's going to be a very successful guy that will go far in life — but it seems like he's not on the right track anymore because he hasn't declared his major yet and has a long list of things to fix in order to graduate with honors. What went wrong? Why did he abandon his goal?
I found out that Owen was not only intimidated by the Ivy League education system but also by the famous people who graduated from there before him. He was afraid that he wouldn't live up to their expectations, so he decided against it. But there is one small problem: he's given up. He's not going to a prestigious school.
One question you should ask yourself: What are you willing to risk for?
There are two types of people in the world: those who take risks and those who don't. Those who take risks want to become the best they can be, while those who don't simply settle with mediocrity or just give up altogether. If you want to improve your life, you need to risk quitting your job and follow your passion instead — or at least try. You can also start a business, travel around the world, or learn something new if it interests you. Not sure where to start? Do your research on the topic first. Are you researching something related to what you want to do with your life? Then that's a good sign. If you've found it, do more research on it.
Action is always preferred over inaction because the latter is really painful in worst case scenarios. Personally, I'd rather be a non-risk taker than a risk taker; at least I know where I stand and wouldn't be taken advantage of by others if things went wrong.
The Power of Luck vs Knowledge
No matter how much time and effort you put in, there's no denying that luck plays an important role in our lives; anything can happen anytime and anywhere. Luck has a way of helping the best among us — those who are prepared, disciplined, and hardworking. Luck favors those who take risks and are prepared for the unexpected. People sometimes struggle with being "lucky" because they're in denial: they believe that their lives have been handed to them on silver platters, even though that's not the case. Sure, some people get lucky by pure chance and don't deserve it at all — maybe you got that promotion or job opportunity purely by chance; your friends also got lucky when they were up against tough competition to get it — but the point is: there are many other people out there who can help you too. What separates the winners from the losers is opportunity. There are countless opportunities that have been presented by other people to you. You just have to take advantage of them.
I suggest following the principle of "luck vs knowledge." If you believe in luck, then you should also believe in good fortune — but not necessarily luck per se. Good fortune means hard work and preparation; it's believing that there's no such thing as a risk taker, a success story without effort — hard work and determination always pay off eventually (at least they do for me). It's believing that anyone can achieve their goals, even though it won't be easy. Luck is a part of life — it's definitely there — but there's always some element of luck involved in every decision you make in life. You can bet on it — and be prepared for the outcome.
Luck has a way of helping the best among us. Are you prepared?
Now, I'm not saying that everyone should quit their jobs and go to college to try their luck — the road to success is not a straight shot: there are many bumps along the way. But if you want to "play the game" by taking action, then that's what you should do. If you don't like your job or don't think you're cut out for what you're doing, then quit and try something new. If you can't find that special someone, then just keep trying — keep at it until you've found the right one. If life isn't working out the way you want it to, change certain aspects; there are many ways to better yourself in life without necessarily taking action. Just because there's a chance of failure (not necessarily high) doesn't mean that it's not worth trying. You can certainly make tremendous changes in your life by simply taking action and being willing to take risks.
I'm sure we've all heard about the American dream before. It's a famous metaphor for the idea that if you work hard, work smart, and just keep at it, then your dream will eventually come true. That's an inspiring thought — that anyone can succeed if they're willing to put in the effort. Unfortunately, there are many people who only accept this "American dream" as their American nightmare because they don't want to take action (or even try). I believe everyone should realize that just because they don't have a degree or a job doesn't mean they can't succeed in life. It's all up to us and what we do with our lives.
Conclusion
My good friend Owen used to be a successful guy, at least from the outside. Inside, he was suffering from fear and lack of direction in life. I tried to help him in every way I could — I even helped him apply for a few universities — but he quit before he applied himself. Sometimes people can't see the light at the end of the tunnel because they're too afraid or even too lazy to start walking toward it; they just continue living their lives doing what they have always done. But there's nothing wrong with trying something new: you might succeed while others may not — or you might fail while others are successful — but whatever happens next is fine because you aren't stuck where you are right now.