My take on success

As much of a failure my personal life has been, my professional life is back on track for a successful completion given the recent turn of events. Yet this grasp of success is elusive at best and only a small percentage of the population achieves. I have often been asked what the 'secret' to my 'success' thus far is and I have just one answer: Luck. While a part of the explanation that ensues is true for me and me alone, it is also founded on a fundamental belief: a force controls factors beyond my control. An assumption of equivalent talent also holds true.
I believe that success is founded on two principles: hardwork and luck, or fate, chance, probability, God's hand or any other word/ phrase having similar connotation. A combination of these two variables is what determines the success of any activity. Consider the simple case of an exam: Someone who has not studied at all can never excel, yet innumerable times, a student who has give it all falls short of the desired goal. There are still others who study lesser than some, yet score more than their more studious counterparts.
To solve the aforementioned apparent contradiction, I have come up with an equation: X% hardwork + Y% luck = 100% success. Y is never less than 10% and can never exceed 50%. To elucidate this, consider my case. On a test, the amount of hard work you put is only one of the factors determining the outcome. What you study, how you feel on the day of the test, the examiner's mood during grading, your own ability to recall answers and methodologies on the day of, are all other variables out of your control. Therefore, I believe that 60% of sucess is based on hardwork, 40% is based on luck. So if I do not study at all, I believe I will get a 40% on the exam. If am extremely unlucky, I will get 60% on the exam. If I work hard and get lucky i.e. the examiner is in a good mood, the questions are relatively straight forward and I am able to recall answers appropiately, I will get definitely get above 60% and can possibly reach 100%.
This example explains why hardworking people (of equivalent talent) get different outcomes in activities. Continuing the example of an examination, a student for whom everything goes right (professor is in a good mod grading the exam, questions are simple and include everything he revised at the very last minute) is luckier than the student for whom only some went right (perhaps the questions he revised at the very last minute were not the ones in the exam)/ Consequently, the first student will do better than the second student thus aolving the contradiction. Therefore I will attribute 40% of my success to luck or anything equivalent. Yet, for all this uncertainty, this is in line with my principle of giving one's best shot and having no regrets... isn't it?

A word on kids

Perhaps it is unrealistic for me to touch on this issue, given the circumstances surrounding me. Yet in today's world. when people increasingly live in the moment, or do not think for the future generations. The book 'Freakonomics' outlines that the how successful the kids become has a direct relation to how successful the parents are i.e. the choices made by an individual between the ages of 18-25 (25 being the age they have decided to 'settle down') have a significant say in how successful their kids will be.
Children are important on many fronts- baring the emotional aspect and the fact that every parent wants to see his/ her child successful, kids are a preservation of the genes and lineage of an individual. As detached as it sounds, it is true that reproduction is primarily meant to preserve species. Therefore, it is in the parents best interest emotionally and logically to ensure the kids have the highest chance of succeeding in today's world.
After much debate, introspection and speculation (all of which i am still open to), I have narrowed the aforementioned objective to an optimization of three variables: the genes of the parents (and the parents' immediate families), the foundation of specific values (decided and imparted by the parents) ingrained into the child, and the amount of influence the parents have. The genes help infuse the child with potential and talent, without which success is is a rare occurrence. The values ensure that a child stays within limits when questioning the modus operandum of life. It is essential that the child receives the necessary attention early to cement the values. Finally the amount of influence can help the child gain a competitive advantage over his/ her peers. This influence can be via a network, money or a combinatio of both.
The first variable is abundantly lucid when you recognize the GIGO rule. The third variable is plainly factual because it can provde the child with resources otherwise not affordable.
The second variable can be a touchy issue in today's world. A simple scenario can be played out as follows: A young girl of average genes can offer excellent time and energy to raising a kid as opposed to an intelligent girl involved in a demanding career (assuming the parenting skills are equal). The solution must then lie in between optimizing the genes and the time afforded to the child.
An optimization of these three variables is certainly not the only thing responsible for the success of the child, but it certainly is a head start. Given today's competition, who wouldn't like that...?