Is Luck a Reality That Should Be Acknowledged?

On his blog, Seth Godin responded to a reader who believes luck and randomness is just as critical to success as hard work and effort.

Seth says: “Without a doubt, luck is involved. I don't think anyone would tell you otherwise. The choice one needs to make, though is this: either you believe that luck is dominant, in which case, why bother with effort? Or you believe that luck is random, in which case it can be eliminated from your thinking and you can focus on all the stuff you can control.

I don't think luck alone gets you into Harvard Law School or a clerkship at the Supreme Court. I don't think luck gets someone to buy your car (the best in its class and a great value) instead of the lame alternative.  I've been astonishingly lucky with many elements of my career. Mostly because solid singles turned into doubles or the occasional homer. I figure most of the failures are my fault and many of the successes were really good breaks. But I can't imagine how lonely and depressing it would be to view myself as nothing but a pinball, batted around by forces over which I have no influence."

I understand where Seth is going with this, and I think he’s correct in that it’s useless to wait around for the fickle finger of fate to point its finger at you.  However, I don’t know that one has to make a choice between believing luck is dominant and believing it’s random.  And I think you do yourself a disservice if you dismiss it altogether.  For example, when I’ve tried my hardest at something and have had every reason in the world to succeed – but someone else still comes out on top at my expense – occasionally it makes me feel a bit better to chalk it up to luck.

There are a lot of talented people in this world with outstanding work ethics.  Persistence is the #1 factor in getting what you want out of life, I don’t dispute that.  But luck is certainly in the mix too, and occasionally it's both dominant and random. 

Comments

[Online Student]

Sure, there is an element of luck in almost everything, but more often than not good preparation and planning can make up the difference between good luck and bad luck.

[Katie Konrath]

Luck is always a factor, although we can increase our chances of being lucky by setting ourselves up for success.

Recently, I was very lucky because I asked a company for an informational interview, and they coincidentally needed someone to start the next day as a full-time contract worker. But I'd connected with them months before, and they knew who I was, and I had created an online portfolio that showed my writing ability - so that when the opportunity arose, I didn't have to convince them I was right for them.

You're right that luck alone won't get people into Harvard - but for someone who has put in a lot of time, and who is on the edge, it could be the determining factor why they were selected when someone else wasn't.

[Josh Russo]

Louis Pasteur famously summed up Seth's point when he said, "Luck favors the prepared mind", and I'm inclined to agree.

On the flip side, the jury's still out on whether luck is an external "force" at all. Some have asserted that lucky people have specific common (and sometimes learn-able!) traits. Wiseman's research suggests that believing you're lucky is a self fulfilling prophecy. http://www.richardwiseman.com/research/psychologyluck.html

[Erika with Qvisory]

I'm not sure that it is necessary to acknowledge luck. As you said, persistence is the key, so you have to work hard regardless of whether the great finger of fate is pointing at you that day or not. I don't personally believe in luck (though, in the interest of full disclosure, I do believe in God) and instead just focus on doing my best.

[Alexandra Levit]

You guys are awesome. You're all so convinced of the value of persistence. I'm going to revisit this post and your comments on days when I feel like giving up on something. Thank you.

[Mark McClure Coaching]

I'm with Pasteur's quote too.

Also like this LUCK acronym:
Labouring Under Common Knowledge.

Aren't the psychologists also starting to get their heads (!) around "serendipity" these days?