On the grace of fortune
It is a convenient lie that we achieve success by hard work alone. (It’s also a very popular one, especially on the web.) We’re often uncomfortable with the role accident inevitably plays in our (or others’) success, crucial though it is.
There are accidents of birth, of association, of timing, and surely many others. If you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you can make amazing things happen—but it’s still very possible to do everything right and yet not succeed.
Pure luck surely isn’t the ticket, either: a quick look at all the disasters caused by winning the lottery suggests fortune alone can’t make a success. You must do a lot of hard work to be ready when luck catches you.
I say it’s a convenient lie, because thinking we’re in control—that, if only we work harder, we’ll be sure to achieve the success we want—is a strong motivator for us to keep at it. Working harder is surely a good thing. But remember fortune when you consider others: they may have worked plenty hard, only to be dealt a poor hand.
To put it another way: forgive your own flaws rarely, and others’ often.
