Success in life...

[Kurb]

Is greatness in life (you define) given or achieved?

How much does hard work play into it ?

How much does getting a "break" or being "lucky" play into it?

Curious what people will say.

[Epistaxis]

1) Like a track meet. Some people have to run a marathon in life. Others a short sprint. Some of the marathoners achieve greatness after miles of painful struggle. Some of the sprinters pull a hammy out of the blocks and limp to the finish.

2) Hard work is more obvious in the marathoners...but sprinters have to practice hard too in order to achieve greatness, even with amazing "god" given talent.

3) Luck plays a role. Good and bad can be pissed away or overcome.

[Murph]

The wealthy have their own opinion. Good read

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/21-ways-rich-people-think-differently.html?page=1

[CatofWar]

I woke up this morning.

Success.

[Kurb]

"To the average person, it looks like the rich are working all the time," Siebold says. "But one of the smartest strategies of the world class is doing what they love and finding a way to get paid for it."

This was one of my issues in my career.

I grew up in super rural NC. Lots of things I might enjoy were just unknown to me. Now I have dug myself into a career that I really don't enjoy I'm afraid its way to late to start over (kid, bills, time).

[Guest]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PQ6335puOc

[Scrumtrilescent]

Ass, you beat me to it.

[Panthro]

I think there are unsuccessful people who work hard and vice versa. I think each person is different and sometimes it's hard work, sometimes it's people that you know, sometimes it's being in the right place at the right time, and sometimes it's all, some, or none of those.

[Mrs Pantherfan]

I think there are unsuccessful people who work hard and vice versa. I think each person is different and sometimes it's hard work, sometimes it's people that you know, sometimes it's being in the right place at the right time, and sometimes it's all, some, or none of those.

that's what I was gonna say...

you can also sleep your way to the top...would that go under hard work?

[Panthro]

This was one of my issues in my career.

I grew up in super rural NC. Lots of things I might enjoy were just unknown to me. Now I have dug myself into a career that I really don't enjoy I'm afraid its way to late to start over (kid, bills, time).

You live once...seriously.....go do something

[mmmbeans]

luck provides you opportunities, work allows you to take advantage of those opportunities...

some people work without ever getting opportunities, some get opportunities without ever working.... life isn't fair.

greatness is a subjective reflection of those relationships around you and a reflection of yourself by you. So it's both achieved and given (to you, by you.)

[mmmbeans]

You live once...seriously.....go do something

YOLO!

no seriously, go do something... what's the worst that could happen? You're already going to die.

[Guest]

Ass, you beat me to it.

If you don't have some lamentation of women a few times in your life, you haven't lived.

[Darth Biscuit]

Agree with what Panthro and beans said... some people stumble into it, some work hard for it, some don't work and don't get it...

I'm personally kind of a combo... I went to school and worked for my degree, stumbled into a good position before I even graduated, worked hard in that position to do well and stand out, and then got lucky professionally when the state forced us to become licensed and I became one of the youngest guys in my field to get licensed, then was able to get into a position that allowed me to run a company... now I love my job and the people I work with and do pretty well with it. We make decent money, have fun at work and pretty much do whatever the hell we want here... so I'm pretty damned fortunate with that.