Luck or Opportunity

張貼日期：Jun 22, 2011 10:54:16 AM

Luck or Opportunity

William Chang

Do you wish you had more luck? Why does one man succeed and another fail? Is it luck or are there definite reasons? “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity” is a quote from Oprah Winfrey, a famous American talk show host. The speaker is trying to tell people that good preparation for opportunity is the key to be successful, not luck. I agree with her absolutely because I believe that preparation is more important. My agreement is based on the following reasons.

The first reason is that opportunity is very transient and rare, so we must grab it whenever we meet it. In my opinion, grabbing opportunity means to get ready and be well-prepared. Take Oprah Winfrey for example. Before she became a well-known national TV host, she had worked in a local station for many years and had gone to uncountable interviews. Without her experiences, she could not have gotten the interview for national TV host and become successful.

Second, preparation is always advantageous and never harmful to us. When preparing for something, we are actually increasing the possibility of success, creating our own luck. For instance, learning how to write a good essay is not only helpful for my composition course but also beneficial for answering the essay questions in other classes such as literature and linguistics. In addition, even though we miss the opportunity this time, we will have a better shot next time if we have grown because of extra effort and sufficient preparation

The third reason is that our attitude towards everything determines our lives. Our level of desire, our determination to pursue goals, how we see things, and how we act when opportunity comes along all determine how lucky we will be. If we believe luck is pre-destined, we will not put any effort in our lives. And the luck will never come.

People who rely on luck tend to believe that they can get luck without preparation. I deeply doubt their thoughts because even if people get the luck, they will lose it if they are not capable to deal with it. In many cases of people who win lottery, they meet the luck by chance and win a great deal of fortune. However, they splurge the money easily for extravagances, expensive mansions, and gambling. Their lack of financial management usually causes their bad end. Thus, no matter how lucky people are, they still need good sense and preparation to handle the luck.

In conclusion, the above reasons give us clear demonstrations about how to deal with our lives. They teach us not only to get well-prepared, but also not afraid of obstacles and problems. They are not just the reasons for Ms. Winfrey’s success, but will be the essentials that contribute to ours.