The Comparison Of Luck And Success

When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success.” Do you agree or disagree with the quotation above? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.

Living in an opportunistic society, the factors leading to success are often disputed by the public. While some believe that success is only originated from hard work, others assert that great achievements are solely dependent upon luck. In my opinion, I concur with the former statement. This is because of two reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.

Firstly, success is often the result of tedious planning, studying, and researching, all of which require significant amounts of hard work. In this fast developing world today, many people tend to neglect the hard work beyond apparent success and attribute these achievements to the influence of luck. This creates an illusion that success is always due to coincidence. However, it is always the diligence and persistence behind the scenes that drive people towards huge achievements in life. For instance, Thomas Edison, the father of electricity, conducted a significant number of experiments in order to devise a sustainable light bulb. After almost three years of trial and error, he finally discovered the best material for light bulb filaments, after over one thousand failed attempts. While some may regard this as an astounding piece of good fortune, Edison’s success is undeniably due to his perseverance and great passion for science and discovery, which is independent upon luck. Therefore, it can be ensured that success is always based on hard work.

In addition, hard work can forge long term success, while luck may bring temporary peaks and highs from time to time. It is no secret that everyone can be lucky once or twice under different circumstances. Nonetheless, as the old adage goes, “picking a coin from the ground does not make you a millionaire”. These accidental gains are only destined to last for a short period of time, and what people gained can easily be lost due to carelessness and poor planning. On the contrary, with hard work, people are guaranteed to improve and approach perfection. Take my uncle Tom and my brother Bill as an example. Five years ago, Tom won a million dollar prize in a lottery out of sheer luck. Instantly, he quit his old job and brought a gigantic mansion in Las Vegas, where he lived a luxurious and extravagant life. This situation did not last long, and he lost his last penny on the gambling table. On the other hand, Bill worked steadily at a technological company. Although low paid at first, he still treated his job with enthusiasm and learned eagerly from his colleagues. Only a few years later, he was elevated to a high position in the company, earning over ten thousand dollars monthly. These two opposing example demonstrate that although luck can bring occasional prosperity in life, these gains far from temporary. On the other hand, hard work always guarantee small achievements, which eventually leads to a huge success.

In conclusion, due to the two reasons mentioned above, I firmly believe that astounding achievements can only originate from the accumulation of hard work over time.