According to Seneca, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. This means that the more prepared one is, the more lucky they tend to get when opportunity comes. 

How unlucky is someone who meets opportunity without preparation? What happens when someone is prepared but opportunity doesn't come their way? 

Luck is a complex and perhaps, a controversial concept that has been debated by many thinkers for centuries without end. 

Some believe that luck is a tangible phenomenon that impacts our lives, while others like to think that it is just an illusion or a way of making sense of our often inexplicable successes and failures. 

I think luck is a tangible phenomenon. For how else could we explain serendipity or unintentionally being at the right place at the right time to partake in a life changing opportunity? 

However, there's also a case to be made for thinking that luck is an illusion, not that it is necessarily true but it is a good way to ground ourselves into reality and realise that luck is not a given. Waiting for opportunity without preparation will be a bit irresponsible. 

![](https://images.pexels.com/photos/1111597/pexels-photo-1111597.jpeg) 
[Image Source](https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-about-to-catch-four-dices-1111597/) 

## The Mechanism Of Luck In Achieving Success
Only very few hope for luck when striving to achieve success. One of the reasons being that it is a seemingly unpredictable and unreliable phenomenon. 

Everyone is usually better off not banking on luck when starting out on the journey to success. This also gives one the ability to 'build' preparation as Seneca pointed out. 

A person that's solely relying on luck is almost guaranteed to fail in their pursuit of success. Because one is basing his/her success on something that is beyond their control and never guaranteed. 

Imagine trying to blow the wind in a particular direction with our hands, 9 times out of 10, the wind wouldn't change its direction for us. 

However, there's a Latin proverb that said “If there is no wind, row!”. It is a metaphor for taking action and pushing forward when faced with obstacles. Implying that one should not rely on external factors such as luck, but on one’s own efforts and abilities. 

A personality that comes to mind is Elon Musk. He's arguably the biggest risk taker in our modern generation. At some time in the past, Elon said that he doesn't believe in luck or fate. But if one works hard and smart enough, good things will happen eventually. 

Clearly, he doesn't factor luck in the success equation but luck nevertheless played a part in it. Otherwise, some of the risks he had taken may pan out differently. 

One could extend the Latin proverb to; "If there is no wind, row until the wind finds you!". But I guess that would dilute the purity and lessen the impact of the proverb. 

Besides, it also creates an expectation that the wind has gone for a break and one could just 'sit and wait' for it. 

![](https://images.pexels.com/photos/5913391/pexels-photo-5913391.jpeg) 
[Image Source](https://www.pexels.com/photo/boat-with-vase-of-flowers-and-dried-grass-on-lake-5913391/) 

## The Success Equation.
Simple and basic mathematics tells us that we need to add, subtract, multiply or divide to find the missing number at the other end of the equation. 

On a broader scale, the equals to sign(=) serve as a delineator between the input and output. For example, 2x4(input) = 8(output). 

Although, success is quite subjective and varies from one individual to another, there are shared and common beliefs in regards to it. 

With sucess equation/formula, two of the common ones that I'm familiar with are success = hardwork + determination and success = talent X effort. 

These equations gives one the impression that success depends on both the amount and quality of work that one puts in, as well as the natural abilities or gifts that one possesses. Which is very true. 

However, I feel that they do not capture the whole picture of success, as there may be other factors involved, such as luck.

To incorporate luck, we could combine both equations into one. Talent becomes luck while effort and determination merge into hardwork. Which gives us success = hardwork + luck.

Of course, it's an oversimplification. A better word for hardwork could've been skill. It fits more with Musk's saying about working hard and smart enough. 

From a subjective perspective, it matters much whether we factor luck into the success equation or not. When we do, we often find ourselves not going all in on what it takes to achieve success. 
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*Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.*


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