Reflective Essay On Success

Many people claim that success comes only as a result of hard work, while others believe that it is largely the product of good fortune. I believe that success is only achieved by people who are diligent, hard-working , and persevering. I will explore these ideas in the following essay.

To begin with, success is not the result of a single lucky strike, but rather the cumulative result of a lot of hard work. Success happens over time and only after a series of correct decisions and small victories. A stroke of luck, in contrast, is generally perceived to be a one-time event. My uncle's experience as a successful entrepreneur is a compelling example of what I mean. He runs a very profitable technology firm that manufactures and sells a wide range of products. His business started very small when he invested his savings to market a single product and hired his first employee. When his single product found success, my uncle combined his success with a series of profitable mergers that increased the size of his company. His company later grew from a single employee to include dozens of staff. While my uncle may have been lucky at one stage of his company's growth, his firm's long-term success cannot simply be the result of good fortune.

Secondly, people today tend to misattribute the results of hard work and diligence to simple blind luck. Too many people ascribe to luck things which are actually the result of careful planning, research and “business smarts.” For example, some people said that my uncle was lucky when his initial product offering was successful. However, he was confident that his product would be a hit even before he started manufacturing it. This is because he has *spent* thousands of dollars *on* market research and focus groups. It was this investment, not luck, that ensured the early success of his business. Likewise, his small firm completed its first merger just before the target company rose to prominence some called him lucky. However, my uncle had spent weeks interviewing the research and development team at the company and predicted their success based on what they told him about their planning. Had he not been confident of their success, he would not have completed the merger. Again, this victory was a result of diligence rather than luck, despite what some observers say about it. 

In conclusion, I strongly believe that success comes as a result of hard work, rather than good fortune. This is because success is a gradual and cumulative process, and because the public's conception of luck is very superficial and hollow.