The Formula for Success
Success relies on many factors
Throughout stories of success, it seems hard work is the only thing that a lot of successful people talk about when describing their success. While it is true that working hard will increase your chance of success, there are so many more factors that go into trying to succeed than just putting in the work.
The Lebron Example
Lebron James is no doubt one of the greatest NBA players in history. However, arguing that Lebron is one of the greatest players in NBA history just because he worked harder than everyone else is incredibly disingenuous. The guy is 6’9 250, with a 40-inch vertical, and also happened to become incredibly fast and strong. While he worked hard to get into the position he did, if I told a 5’8 150 kid who wanted to be a basketball player to model his work habits and in-game characteristics from Lebron, I would be setting him up for failure.
If that theoretical 5’8 kid practiced 2x the time of Lebron, he still would not end up being ½ the player that Lebron is. That’s why it would be ridiculous to have put the same expectations on results that Lebron has. Hard work will create better results than not working at all, but so many more factors go into doing well at something than just working incredibly hard.
Formula for Success
There are multiple factors that go into success, and I think I have created a semi-effective formula for success. This formula effectively balances the factors I have found that is common in successful people. So, here’s the formula:
Ability refers to the skills or inherited traits that you have at that current point. These skills can be effective articulation skills, business knowledge, or even something like athletic ability or physical attractiveness. Hard work just shows how much effort you put into a specific subject. Duration is how much time you dedicate to trying to succeed at something. The last part of the formula is luck; this just comes down to whatever lucky breaks or things you had during that point.
Everyone on their path to success has different amounts of each of these characteristics. Someone like Lebron had tons of ability and hard work but reached such a high level at such a young age there really wasn’t much duration. There are some people who succeed mostly on luck, like a lottery winner, and there are some people who worked for thirty years in order to succeed.
There are also talented people who worked hard for thirty years and failed to reach any semblance of success. Everyone thinks that success is something that is guaranteed, but in all honesty, there are so many factors that contribute to someone’s success or failure. However, there are certain things that you can do to increase your likelihood of success.
Using your Ability
On the top row of the formula, the ability is one of the only factors I can talk about and not give boring advice like staying focused. Every one of us has certain things that we naturally excel at or have certain physical characteristics that we have over other people. In order to become successful, don’t try and balk at using the things you are naturally great at. If you’re great at something, you not only owe it to yourself, but you also owe it to the world as a whole to at least attempt to succeed at what you’re naturally gifted at.
Also, naturally having the great ability doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work hard to grow that ability to its max. Even Lebron, one of the most naturally gifted players in NBA history, would not have reached the heights that he possibly did if it wasn’t for his hard work and dedication; he would have never become one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard, but remember, talent trumps all when it works hard. Find what you’re good at, then make it your goal to be great at it, and watch as the results come in.
Increasing Your Luck
While the definition of luck would imply that there are no possible ways to increase your luck, in reality, this is simply untrue. Certain people can increase their chances of getting lucky by forming specific habits. While there are chances you could do everything I describe here and still never get lucky, the odds become more in your favor if you do what I discuss here.
The best way to increase your luck is to put yourself out there consistently. Someone who works completely in silence and does not put themselves out there will most likely not get lucky. Those theoretical people who do not put themselves out there will not get lucky because they never get the chance to find opportunities that could lead to their success. You need to be active and out there in order to get lucky. Someone sitting in their room all day will have a much harder time getting lucky than someone working and making connections every day.
Conclusion
Whatever your end point of success is, there are certain factors that will lead to getting closer or further away from succeeding. Hard work and determination are incredibly important, but to say that those are the only factors that cause people to succeed is disingenuous, and in fact, you would be setting yourself up for failure.