I've been thinking about the relationship between hard work and luck in the context of career growth.
First, a small and related tangent.
When you do the thing you don't like to admit that you do sometimes, which is compare your current career to someone else's current career, do you attribute their success to hard work or luck?
Suppose you're envious of something they have and you don't, have you ever stopped to investigate whether your opinion of that thing would change if you viewed it as hard work or luck?
Tangent over.
When it comes to career growth, do we like to view hard work and luck as opposite ends of the same continuum? As in, you either work hard or you get lucky?
If this is your current view, let's label this as the opposite view. Hard work and luck are opposites.
I'd like to propose a different view.
This new view is based on the simple insight that we all don't work hard and yet, we can all get lucky.
Another belief of this new view, is that those who work hard are in a better position to take advantage of luck, when it comes their way.
Let's call this new view, the additive view.
Put simply: Hard work + luck = greater outcomes than either on their own.
You can also replace hard work with something more specific: preparation.
When you do that, the idea of the additive view leading to greater outcomes becomes obvious.
***
Think about where you're at in your career right now.
I'd like to end by asking you to look back.
Looking back, at what points did luck play a role? Were you prepared to take advantage of those moments of luck?
Regardless of your answer, there'll be more moments.
Keep preparing.
