Question
Do people achieve their goals by working hard or because they are lucky?
Answer
The question of whether people achieve their goals through hard work or luck is complex, with research indicating that both factors play significant roles.
Role of Luck:
Luck is a substantial factor in career success, with studies suggesting that about 30% of career outcomes can be attributed to being in the right place at the right time (Westover, 2024). Luck can create opportunities for social mobility and is often instrumental in life trajectories (Archer et al., 2023).
Success is not solely based on talent; being in the right place at the right time is crucial. This randomness in opportunity can lead to significant differences in outcomes (Tanne, 2022).
In business and other fields, extreme outcomes are often due to exceptionally lucky circumstances rather than just skill (Hill, 2021).
Role of Hard Work:
Hard work and goal striving are associated with changes in socioeconomic status, particularly among young adults. However, for those from lower or middle socioeconomic backgrounds, hard work alone is often insufficient to change their status significantly (Kwon and Erola, 2022).
The belief in meritocracy, where hard work is seen as the key to success, is prevalent, but its actual impact on status attainment is limited (Kwon and Erola, 2022).
Interplay of Luck and Hard Work:
While hard work is essential, small early advantages, often due to luck, can have outsized impacts on future success (Westover, 2024).
The perception of success often involves attributing outcomes to either luck or ability, with societal biases affecting these attributions (Hamilton and Lordan, 2023).
Conclusion:
Both luck and hard work are important in achieving goals. Luck can create opportunities and advantages that hard work alone may not provide, while hard work is crucial for capitalizing on these opportunities. The interplay between these factors suggests that success is often a combination of being prepared and seizing the right opportunities when they arise.
References
Westover, J., 2024. Harness the Power of Serendipity: Cultivating Luck in Your Career. Human Capital Leadership Review. https://doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.12.1.3
Tanne, J., 2022. Ig Nobel prize 2022: it’s better to be lucky than smart, how heart rate reveals romantic feelings, and why ice cream works as cryotherapy. BMJ, 378. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o2255
Archer, L., Francis, B., Henderson, M., Holmegaard, H., MacLeod, E., Moote, J., & Watson, E., 2023. Get lucky? Luck and educational mobility in working-class young people’s lives from age 10–21. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 44, pp. 843 – 859. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2023.2211234
Kwon, H., & Erola, J., 2022. The limited role of personal goal striving in status attainment.. Social science research, 112, pp. 102797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2022.102797
Hill, J., 2021. Luck: A Key Idea for Business and Society, by Chengwei Liu. New York: Routledge, 2020. 124 pp.. Business Ethics Quarterly, 31, pp. 316 – 319. https://doi.org/10.1017/beq.2021.10
Hamilton, O., & Lordan, G., 2023. Ability or luck: A systematic review of interpersonal attributions of success. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1035012
