Success Is An Equation

There is no formula for success. Meaning there is no specific quantity of ingredients that, if you mix them together, will make you successful. However, there is an equation for success. 

Talent + Effort + Luck = Success

Winning the lottery, for example, takes all luck, no talent and minimal effort.  The success, if you define success as making money, is real. The money has the same buying power as someone who worked hard for it, but the lottery didn't require much talent or effort and, as a result, is hard to repeat.

There are ball players, for example, who are born with remarkable talent who, with some effort, make it to the big leagues. There are also plenty of players who may not have as much talent but have a remarkable work ethic, put in a remarkable amount of effort and also make it to the big leagues.  One is not more effective than the other, it is just a different balance of the equation. Both probably require some element of luck, however. 

Talent is something you’re born with. Effort is something you apply. And luck is well…just luck. But all three matter for success.

Understanding this equation allows us to rely on our talents in some cases, put in a little extra effort in others and always appreciate the luck that helps along the way.

Comments

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I would revise that equation to the following: biology + effort + luck = success.

I removed talent because does that even exist? Sure, some people appear to be naturally gifted at something, but I think it's the result of their environment. A great book on this idea is "Talent is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin.

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Fame usually comes to those who are thinking something else. ( O. W. Holmes )

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You got a really useful blog. I have been here reading for about an hour. I am a newbie and your success is very much an inspiration for me.

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I'd be interested in hearing. The TOS seems rather clear that it is not unless expressly approved by Amazon. I guess if the library got it in writing then they would be ok.

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A bird in the hand is worth than two in the bush. we need faith+effort+dedication+luck to be just reall success.

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Fame usually comes to those who are thinking something else. ( O. W. Holmes )

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I'd be interested in hearing. The TOS seems rather clear that it is not unless expressly approved by Amazon. I guess if the library got it in writing then they would be ok.

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I removed talent because does that even exist? Sure, seeome people appeear to be naturally gifted at esomething, but I think it's the result of their environment. A great book on this idea is "Talent is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin.

I added biology because there are features that make people better at certain dtasks... like being tall in basketball.

Either way, I liked your article. Good stuff!

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This is an interesting blog. I totally agree with this post. talent is by birth, hard work you can imply on yourself, where as there is no definition, characteristics or strategies of Luck.

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[Marilyn]

I love your blog. Now I just need the formula for luck and I can be successful.

[KenO]

Luck = Preparation + Opportunity

[Juhan Lõvi]

I'd actually think it to be more like:
(Talent)*(Effort)*(Luck)= Success

Multiplication makes more sense here than addition.
You can have all the talent and effort
-- yet out of luck you will mis-succeed.

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I agree - all of my successes were a result of these three components. As Forest Gump would say "Luck Happens"!

[CRS]

I say something similar to my friends, but use "opportunity" instead of luck. We encounter opportunities all the time, but few people really jump on them. And some people simply have opportunity denied to them. Would Albert Einstein be the great physicist of history had he been born in Afghanistan? He would have been smart, and maybe successful, but never a famous physicist. Would Michael Jordan be the best basketball player in history had he been born 400 years ago? Of course not.

Kayne West is an interesting example of taking opportunity; by his own admission he can't sing, can't dance, and can barely rap.

And yet, he set himself the goal of being the best entertainer of all time. He is a legendarily hard worker, but I think it is his ability to see and exploit opportunities that others don't see really moves him forward. Who would have stage rushed Taylor Swift? Only Kanye. Talk all you want to about the incident -- that's the point.

So, that’s why I like to focus on opportunity. Sometimes it happens to you, sometimes you make it.

[Rocco Carzo]

Equation above makes a great deal of sense.

I've often thought of success in this way: Success = dedication + sacrifice. Dedication is the commitment to do whatever it takes to make something work; a not-taking-no-for-an-answer mentality. Sacrifice is giving up what you'd like to do for what needs to be done. For example, you might have to sleep two less hours a night so that you can accomplish more throughout the day.

Success -- the end result -- is ultimately a relative term. However, there are several requirements that must be met in order to get there. Some of them, I'd say, have been mentioned above. Any others?

[Derek]

I would revise that equation to the following: biology + effort + luck = success.

I removed talent because does that even exist? Sure, some people appear to be naturally gifted at something, but I think it's the result of their environment. A great book on this idea is "Talent is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin.

I added biology because there are features that make people better at certain tasks... like being tall in basketball.

Either way, I liked your article. Good stuff!