Passion and Hard Work Aren’t Enough – Make the Most of Your Opportunities
Just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success. His basic premise is that success is a result of opportunity (a combination of lucky breaks) as much as it is hard work and passion. For example, being born in the right time span is key for hockey players and current computer moguls. Ever notice that Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Steve Jobs were all born within a couple years of each other? Turns out that it’s not just a coincidence – Gladwell claims that it has had a major impact on their current success.
This doesn’t mean that you should just give up if you weren’t born at the right time of year. Bill Gates would have been just as smart as he is today if he had been born ten years earlier – he just might not have had the opportunities to become an expert programmer. You need to keep your eyes open for opportunities and make the most of the ones that are presented to you.
To sum up: Success = Passion / Talent + Hard Work + Opportunity. What opportunities can you seize today?
