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Comment by breckenedge | Hacker News Reader

Good article, reminds me of The Myth of the Garage essay by the Heath bros [1]. And the unforgettable high-school slogan "luck (or success) is where preparation meets opportunity." You don't always control the opportunities.

[1] http://www.heathbrothers.com/the-myth-of-the-garage/

edit: misquoted the unforgettable

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You don't always control the opportunities. But you can sure show up where they serve them.

Except for when they show up at all-white country clubs.

That's true, but (and I may be misreading it here) I feel like the piece speaks to an even deeper element of chance: the chance that you even find your true passion to begin with. If you're in love with a discipline and know you want to excel in it, then you're lucky to have solidified a purpose in your life. Some people take years, decades, maybe their entire lives to discover what it is that truly makes them tick. I'm sure some never do.

Do know that a lot of people are just too afraid to even try. Society has put them down so much that they cannot fathom standing up for themselves. Its really sad. Many talented people waste away due to how we decide to run things. Still, survival of the fittest applies here too. If you cannot make your own luck then bad luck. Someone else will.

Being someone who has always just jumped in and tried whatever I found interesting, it really is amazing see how immobile people often feel. I've had discussions with several people who believe that they cannot try anything without the backing of an educational institution, of which they often do not have time/money available to explore that option, leaving them doing nothing at all.

I love that quote and the idea behind it. Hard to implement, but good to keep in mind.

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