Luck

Examining the patterns behind extraordinary success reveals fascinating insights about the interplay between circumstances and individual effort. For those who achieve remarkable accomplishments, their journeys typically involve a complex combination of favorable starting conditions and fortunate developments along the way. Initial advantages—such as being born into families with relatively more resources and opportunities—create foundations that can dramatically influence life trajectories regardless of individual capabilities.

Two Paths to Achievement # There’s a profound difference between what I call growth and grind mindsets that shapes how we approach challenges and pursue success. Growth represents an organic process of continuous learning, skill development, and personal evolution that naturally tends toward expansion and improvement. Grind, conversely, focuses on sheer effort expenditure—often pushing beyond sustainable limits into exhaustion or burnout territory. While growth feels expansive and energizing, grind typically feels constrictive and depleting.

We’re taught from an early age that hard work leads to rewards and success. This wisdom has merit, but what if I told you that laziness—yes, laziness—might be equally virtuous? When most of us think about laziness, we picture someone sprawled on the couch binge-watching Netflix, lost in video games, or perhaps hurkle-durkling in bed well past a reasonable hour. We’ve been conditioned to view laziness as productivity’s enemy—the antithesis of work, responsibilities, and self-improvement.

Beyond the Cautionary Tale: Survivorship Bias as Strategic Insight # Survivorship bias—our tendency to focus on successful outcomes while overlooking failures—typically enters conversations as a cautionary note. We’ve all witnessed this dynamic: someone celebrates a remarkable success story, only to have another person interject with the observation that “that’s just survivorship bias,” effectively suggesting we should discount the achievement as statistical noise rather than meaningful evidence.

I’ve long aspired to build a sustainable, successful startup—one that generates sufficient revenue to support itself and provide meaningful compensation to its team members. However, I’ve reached a point where honest self-assessment has led me to pivot toward employment opportunities rather than continuing down the founder path for now. This journey has offered valuable insights worth sharing, particularly about the gap between startup mythology and actual entrepreneurial reality.