Dumb Luck

More Queen's Park art: Niagara Falls, MacDonald Block, southwest corner, second floor.

Look at all the happy people about to toss themselves over the edge.

Last week I shared a story featuring some bad luck and some good.

This got me thinking about luck in general. 

I found a definition on the Internet: 

"the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities."

Thinking of lucky people also got me thinking about how fortunate a person can be if they are physically beautiful. 

The internet gave me this definition of beauty: 

"the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, either perceived by the senses - such as shape, color, or sound; a meaningful design or pattern - or an intangible characteristic, such as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest."

And this got me thinking about another quality people have that makes them get ahead in life: intelligence. 

"having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals: displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment."

All this made me wonder what would be the most fundamental to success? Luck, beauty or brains?

Ambition, determination and perseverance would also matter, as would qualities such as talent and natural abilities that enable success.

Only a handful of humans are all three of lucky, beautiful and smart. Think Amal Alamuddin.

The next best combination is to be beautiful and lucky. Think Beyonce.

If you're smart and lucky, then you're Chris Hadfield.

But, if you have none of luck, beauty or brains, then hard work, ambition and perseverance can carry you a long way, as in, the harder you work, the luckier you get.

If you have talent and you have the drive, you can achieve greatness. Think Usain Bolt. 

People with drive but no talent can spend a lot of time failing to succeed. Think of Madonna's acting career.

Without ambition or perseverance, neither talent nor natural ability will do anything for you. Think of that guy you knew in high school who seemed so great but who never did anything with his life.

All things considered, I think the one thing that sends people into the stratosphere of fame and influence is luck, as in lucky enough to marry or be born into a royal family. 

Or lucky enough to win a presidential election you had every intention of losing.

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen