I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. Thomas Jefferson
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Roman philosopher: Seneca
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas A. Edison
Generally when I have seen the Seneca quote, the point is to emphasize preparation. Preparation is important; however, I have found that many emphasize the influence they have over preparation, but ignore the role of hard work in creating opportunity. Both preparation and opportunity benefit from planning and hard work. The more fishing lines we put in the river, the more likely we are to catch something. Wading out to a good fishing point, putting a lot of lines in the water and maintaining those lines is hard work. Rhb
Luck is often a matter of perspective and patience. Rhb
Often we think of luck as a random event; in this case, luck is possibly an illusion as the following story by the Daoist philosopher Huai Nan Tzu illustrates. Rhb
"One day, a poor farmer's son returned home with a fine stallion.
~~ His neighbors gathered around to congratulate him on his good fortune. "How do you know this is good fortune?" the farmer asked.
"Several weeks later, the horse ran away to the land of the barbarians.
~~When the neighbors expressed their condolences, he asked, "How do you know this is bad luck?"
Months later, the stallion returned with a herd of fine mares.
~~The neighbors again were delighted with his good luck, and he asked "How do you know this isn't a catastrophe?"
"Sure enough, as his son was breaking the wild horses, he fell and shattered his leg.
~~When the neighbors expressed their sympathy, he said, "Who says this is a misfortune?"
The next month, the emperor declared war on a neighboring kingdom and conscripted all the able-bodied young men of the village. Nine-tenths of them never returned from the war.
Huai Nan Tzu (as told Azriela Jaffe)
11:45:02 PM 
|
