"the harder you work, the luckier you get." do you agree with this quote?

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  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    platelet wrote: »
    This is very true for me. Willingness to move around the country to follow the work; to gain experience from a variety of different companies; and to take risks / new challenges on a regular basis has benefited me far greater than my limited education, family background, or contact list

    Though hard work is a big part of it

    I always applaud people able to do this, but some of us never get the chance, very few cleaners suddenly find opportunities and they cannot afford to move round the country, can work for a multitude of companies all at the same time and still not end up doing anything but cleaning.

    I can see how it works on many occupations but really not everyone is in one of those.
  • city fancity fan Posts: 493
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    I think it only has some truth in sport. For example a snooker player who practices hard so gets nearer the pocket each time and it appears more balls are luckily dropping in.
  • haphashhaphash Posts: 21,448
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    A lot of people seem to be confusing luck and money in this thread.

    Working hard doesn't always make you lucky. You can work very hard in a mundane job and be stuck there for years and years doing the same thing day in day out. Working hard to achieve something you want to do or to develop a skill in life is always a good thing but again there is no guarantee of success.

    Some people are luckier than others and often it comes down to them having attractive personalities and a positive attitude. These are the people who everyone wants to be friends with or to work with or just generally want to be around them. This is how some people are perceived to be luckier than others.
  • Phil OwensPhil Owens Posts: 6,989
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    No.... The harder I work the more work the boss piles on me and the more aches and pains I get....
  • GeordiePaulGeordiePaul Posts: 1,323
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    I definitely think there's an element of luck to being successful. Working hard doesn't guarantee success. To be successful isn't easy, you have to work hard, yes, but you've also got to have the talent, and generally having the talent is something you're born with.

    Put it another way, if success came so easily to everyone,then everyone who wanted to be successful would be successful. We can't all be CEOs, sportsmen or supermodels. The world doesn't work like that.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,341
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    We can't all be CEOs, sportsmen or supermodels.

    My thoughts exactly. Yet we're being told to be successful, make something of ourselves, do something with our lives, work hard at school, get good grades, go to university and get a good job.
    Not everybody can be a success can they?

    Typical rose tinted romantic bollocks.
  • towerstowers Posts: 12,183
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    marc_p88 wrote: »
    Do you agree with this quote or not?

    Nope..

    There are few fewer highly paid jobs than low paid jobs, so it's obvious that working hard doesn't always make you lucky in life, though it can help.
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    Working hard, especially during your education and working on your life/social skills will open a lot many more potential doors, than for someone lacking.
  • SaturnVSaturnV Posts: 11,519
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    It's a daft argument to have in any case as there's no such thing as luck. It's just a construct some apply in order (for some reason) to attribute a supernatural cause to some stuff that happened.
  • Pull2OpenPull2Open Posts: 15,138
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    Maybe, but luck eventually runs out.

    i was on a roll in the 90s and 00s my career just went from strength to strength then a massive shift in the economy and mass restructure of the public sector saw the redundancy axe finally get me, followed by two years of unemployment and now I'm back to square one. Working in the trade i left behind on 1989.
  • SaturnVSaturnV Posts: 11,519
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    Pull2Open wrote: »
    Maybe, but luck eventually runs out.

    i was on a roll in the 90s and 00s my career just went from strength to strength then a massive shift in the economy and mass restructure of the public sector saw the redundancy axe finally get me, followed by two years of unemployment and now I'm back to square one. Working in the trade i left behind on 1989.

    Why atttribute that to 'luck' though? It's just some stuff that happened, could have better, could have been worse.
  • brewer480brewer480 Posts: 1,680
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    Luck is surely random. I agree that if you work hard enough and know what you want out of life you will get it, but this is not luck it's ambition.

    Some people who have never done a days work win the lottery (very lucky), whereas most people under the poverty line have to work hard just to survive but never get what I would call a lucky break.
  • SaturnVSaturnV Posts: 11,519
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    brewer480 wrote: »
    Luck is surely random. I agree that if you work hard enough and know what you want out of life you will get it, but this is not luck it's ambition.

    Some people who have never done a days work win the lottery (very lucky), whereas most people under the poverty line have to work hard just to survive but never get what I would call a lucky break.

    If someone wins the lottery are they 'luckier' than someone who didn't buy a ticket?
  • DianaFireDianaFire Posts: 12,711
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    I was researching entrepreneurs lately, and many of them started their first business ventures while they were at school. People like that are a 'type' who are going to spot what works and carry it through. The chap who owns The Range is still only semi-literate. Some people can spot opportunities and make the most of them, and they're not scared to fail either. it's not a question of luck for those people.
  • brewer480brewer480 Posts: 1,680
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    SaturnV wrote: »
    If someone wins the lottery are they 'luckier' than someone who didn't buy a ticket?

    They are luckier than me who's never won more than a tenner :cry:
  • SaturnVSaturnV Posts: 11,519
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    brewer480 wrote: »
    They are luckier than me who's never won more than a tenner :cry:

    Cheer up, I've checked with Camelot and the winning numbers are completely random so your day may come, or maybe not.
  • radcliffe95radcliffe95 Posts: 4,086
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    I think it's a case of being in the right place at the right time and who you actually know, rather than hard work per se.
  • starry_runestarry_rune Posts: 9,006
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    The quote is nonsense to a degree. the "hard work" is not about working hard at your job. Thousands of people work hard and they will never be better off because they are told to work hard, are controlled by money and / or religion or destiny, and are, to put it bluntly, too scared and / or stupid to make the necessary moves.

    The term "hard work" in work hard to get lucky means you have to be a bully, ruthless, manipulative, sleep your way in, harass people, be different, be Nicki minaj, get noticed. marry into the right dynasties,

    A lot of the rich people in the world haven't worked or don't seem to work very hard at all.
  • d'@ved'@ve Posts: 45,452
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    I think it's a case of being in the right place at the right time and who you actually know, rather than hard work per se.

    Yes, also learning how to play the system and being willing to use unethical tactics if necessary.

    The quote in the O/P is not correct - though consistently working extra unpaid hours can help if it benefits like-minded bosses, who tend to promote people in their own image. If you are not seen by them as potentially "one of them", no amount of hard work will make you lucky.
  • dodradedodrade Posts: 23,678
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    My mum says them that has a goose gets a goose.
  • Kid VeloKid Velo Posts: 21
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    marc_p88 wrote: »
    Do you agree with this quote or not?
    From my personal experience, it is far from the case.... :(
  • Poppy99_PoppyPoppy99_Poppy Posts: 2,255
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    Danny_Girl wrote: »
    Luck has nothing to do with it, nor has working hard just for the sake of it. However, I do believe firmly that if you embrace every opportunity given to you, even if it is challenging and takes you out of your comfort zone and go the extra mile when doing so (I.e. outside normal working hours) you will a) improve your cv b) grow as a person c) put yourself in a position where you are noticed, regarded more highly and as a consequence will be given new opportunities. It's like stepping stones, follow the pattern and each iteration moves you upwards. So not luck at all but I can vouch that it does work.

    Agree. Add networking into the mix too. A lot of these activities mentioned above give you the opp to do this.
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