9093 – St Petersburg – Hermitage – Tyche, originally uploaded by thisisbossi.
Earlier today while I was on Twitter I saw this quote passing through the time line:
I was getting ready to write this post, had already come up with the topic and asked myself whether seeing this quote was Tyche playing mind games on me? The Greeks created the goddess Tyche who represents chance, fortune or luck. I looked up the definition of luck in Webster and it’s defined as a force that brings good fortune or adversity. My purpose in this post is continue the debate as to whether people are successful because of luck or skill.
The Greek philosophers started debating whether everything that happens to us is by chance and beyond human control or by fate or skill. A cult to worship Tyche began with temples built in her honor and worship. Aristotle and his contemporaries continued this debate. Aristotle believed in Tyche and taught people how to respond to this force. Later on, Polybius, a Greek historian continued the debate as to whether the Romans were successful because of their skill or luck. Sometimes he would say that the Romans had an abundance of luck and at other times he mentioned their qualities such as drive and discipline as the key cause of their success. I know that I’ve missed a lot of key people since I’m not an expert at history or philosophy. Please feel free to comment on additional philosophers who continued this debate or please correct me if you have additional information or a different perspective.
The Greeks started a debate that continues over 2400 years later. A recent book by Malcolm Gladwell, “The Outliers” (click here for a short summary) mentions that successful people were often lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Another book, “Fooled by Randomness” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb seems to emphasize luck as a key element for success. Another side of the coin is the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. In this book, he teaches the concept that you are the master of your destiny and that through your thoughts and actions you can achieve unlimited wealth and success. My point here is that the debate continues as each year passes on.
Your Insight and Thoughts
- What is your reaction when someone makes a comment that you are a lucky because you are successful?
- Do you believe that luck plays into your success or failure?
- Is there a way to increase your luck?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Again, VERY interesting subject matter to ponder. Marguerite, you continue with what has become my favorite blog.
The insurance and gaming industries have made fortunes on managing risk, which is statistical calculation of luck or chance. There is also the well known quantum physics phenonema of the observers influence on seemingly random movement just by observing.
Given this, I can influence my luck by setting my intention and attending to what is most likely to happen. More so, I can influence the strength and application of my skills.
In short, I believe that luck and skill come into play in varying degrees in different situations. In my work life I have been graced by both. Sadly, in other areas of life, this has not been necessarily true
Thanks for your comment, Rachelle. I’m still not sure how luck comes into play. In my experience a person creates success by keeping a sense of purpose, focus and determination. Having the expectation of success is also a key ingredient because it propels the person to keep going despite obstacles that are in the way. The more the person keeps the plan in action, the higher the likelihood of success.