Whenever someone succeeds at anything, it is usually because they have done something. Whether it is athletic, academic, artistic, or even entrepreneurial in nature, they achieved their goals through hard work. This belief, however, is flawed. In reality, luck does play a large role in success. For instance, consider the 1976 United States Olympics. The team won 18 gold medals, the most of any country, and many of these medals were won through sheer luck. The Soviet Union, for instance, had a female gymnast named Nadia Comaneci. Her skills were remarkable, but she suffered two broken legs in the 1976 Games, which kept her from competing in the finals. This ultimately allowed Mary Lou Retton, an American gymnast, to win the gold medal in gymnastics. However, Comaneci did not fail her teammates. They were able to win medals as well.

The best example of luck and success coming together is the case of Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers of all time. He certainly worked hard, but there was also a great deal of luck involved in his success. His amateur accomplishments were remarkable, winning several amateur tournaments, but in 1996, he won his first professional event, the Buick Invitational. While Woods did win this event, it was on a fluke that a ball he accidentally hit into the water landed on the green, allowing him to hole out. After that, Woods went on to win 11 more events that year, including the Masters Tournament. This earned him a spot on his first Ryder Cup team, and in 1997, he won 14 tournaments, including four Majors, earning him the PGA Tour Player of the Year award. Ironically, Woods’ luck ran out in 2001, when he suffered a back injury, and his career did not recover. He was unable to achieve the same level of success that he did before the accident, and his dominance on the PGA Tour has since been over.

However, luck is not just about winning. In the book Playing for Keeps, by Gary Smith, the author discusses the legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus. He was dominant on the PGA Tour for 29 years, winning 18 Majors. While he certainly worked hard, he also had a streak of luck that helped him achieve his greatness. According to Smith, Jack used to put a coin in his pocket and, when playing golf, if he hit a shot that had a good chance of going into the water, he would put the ball on the green and then take the coin out and toss it into the water. His goal was not to hit every shot into the water, but to put the coin in the water enough times that he would be able to stay dry. Within 12 years, he was able to accomplish this, and his success on the PGA Tour continued. Another golfer who thrived through good luck is Phil Mickelson. Mickelson had a very successful amateur career, but he had to wait 16 years to win his first Major. It was not until 2002 that he won The Masters, and then in 2005 he won The U.

S. Open. These two wins were followed by four more Majors, which earned him the nickname “Lefty”. Luck was on his side, and he was able to capitalize on it.

According to the statistics available, approximately 60% of people are below average. This means that about 40% of people generally do not achieve the level of success that they desire. Many of them work extremely hard, but they do not improve at a fast enough rate. There is often a gap between what a person can do and what he or she does. This gap may be due to luck, as Smith indicated, or it may be due to a difference in ability. If people are reaching their goals, it is because they have done something, but luck is certainly involved, and both luck and abilities play a large role in success.