Don’t Tell Your Friends They’re Lucky
The article (and some comments here) seem to conflate <i>luck</i> and what I will call <i>lot</i>.  &quot;Luck&quot; I define as random happenstance during one&#x27;s life.  <i>You can manage luck.</i>  Doing so is the central theme of many board games.  You can increase your luck &quot;surface area&quot; by taking more chances.  Entire industries (e.g. insurance) exist to manage luck.<p>Your &quot;lot&quot;, on the other hand, I define as what you were born with.  How you were raised, where you grew up, what kind of education you got -- everything you <i>can&#x27;t</i> control that <i>does</i> have a significant impact on your life&#x27;s outcomes.  You can work to improve your lot, or minimize its impact on your life, but it&#x27;s very difficult.<p>Of course there&#x27;s some correlation: those with a good lot often learn early how to manage luck, and those who manage luck well can negate a poor lot.<p>Hence I begrudge no-one with seemingly good &quot;luck&quot;: often (possibly more than not), their fortune is simply a byproduct of how they managed their luck.  Good for them!<p>But those born into a good lot?  They&#x27;re the true &quot;lucky&quot; ones.