Is success in life more a matter of luck than anything else?

[sasguru]

Is it luck to have a big willy that women like, or is it hard work?

I don't expect you'll ever know.

[deano]

Perhaps as Baggy said, I should have used the word "randomness" rather than "luck". I believe randomness is more pervasive than we think and as a lot of posters have demonstrated on this thread they ascribe personal qualities to what is in the end often an accident of birth.

Randomness does play its part. But the personal attitude is just as important. If a random event happened and two people saw it, but only one of them had the character to take advantage of it for their own ends then is it legitimate to descibe that person's "qualities" as a mere accident of birth, because they were present at the random event?

Random events happen for everyone, but each event and any ensuing chains of events take on their own significance depending upon the culture or country you are born in.

"For want of a nail, the shoe was lost..." Sum's it up nicely I think. If the guy had found a nail would he have put the shoe back on or would he have let the chance go by?

[Jog On]

But, do you consider somebody who takes account of randomness (to their advantage) to be lucky, well informed, or just clever?

Insurance companies do OK!

[sasguru]

Insurance companies do OK!

Until a Black Swan comes along that wipes them out.

[ratewhore]

Ah but you were lucky enough to be born in a society that had opportunities that you could take advantage of. (Opportunties that are declining rapidly I fear ).
So in that sense you were lucky.

Oh FFS!!

In that case I was unlucky not to be born into the families of the rockefellers, or the hiltons, or the Gates, or countless Russian billionaires.

God damn my awful life - I feel mental illness coming on, I've had such a poor hand dealt!!!

[NetwkSupport]

Fate has a large part to play?

The more choices you make in life expand the amonut of your possible outcomes?

For example person A had one job all their life, just about got by, never really ventured out of their home town, married childhood sweetheart and divorced at 25.

Person B moved house various times, travelled a few countries, tried/failed/gave up in 20 different jobs, learning new skills, started a business and failed (bad luck), started another and was a millionaire by 40 years old. met about 30 diferent girls and had loads of relationships, married a supermodel he met "by chance" aged 35 and lived happily ever after.

If person B never left his home town sureley he would have led the same life as person A? and visa versa for Person A?

[Doggy Styles]

Person B was lucky to have wanderlust. Some people aren't cut out for it.

[DimPrawn]

I didn't get where I am today by talking about luck Reggie!

[Purple Dalek]

I didn't get where I am today by talking about luck Reggie!

Gosh, so many oldies on this board.

[sasguru]

So the old Cockney goodbye "Be Lucky" is actually very profound