Success as a Function of Chance and HARDWORK

Every time I learn of successful personalities, I can't help envying them. I envy them for achieving high in their field of interest, while many with similar aspiration fail in their endeavor.

I assume that many of you think the same way as I do. We always tend to focus on these persons' glorious sides and forget to look at the whole picture. We leave the struggles they had undergone before succeeding out of the picture. They have worked hard to earn their success.

Reading Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" reminds me of the importance of hardwork. He mentions of the 10,000 hour rule,of the need to spend 10,000 hours before it is sufficient to excel in a specific field. 10,000 hours, an unbelievably huge amount of time.

Gladwell emphasizes that we owe our success to the opportunities that come our way. I agree with him, but I believe that opportunity without hardwork would still result in failure. As one would recall,in his book "The Drunkard's Walk," Leonard Mlodinow writes:

"Since chance does play a role, one important factor in success is under our control: the number of at bats, the number of chances taken, the number of opportunities seized."

At this point, you may be moved by the power of hardwork. But I tell you, there is a gap between acknowledging the importance of hardwork and actually exercising it. As one of my teachers in college said, one remains a "potential" until he finally takes action.