These blog posts about the keys to success from people that made it but fail to recognize the importance of luck and circumstance are incredibly tired.<p>e.g.
&quot;What follows is a list of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned from my experience — all of which you can apply right now. [...] Make your own safety net. “You’ll be fine if it doesn’t work out.” The trick is that feeling this way is just a choice you make.&quot;<p>&quot;I was 24 when I decided to work in the U.S. I was terrified, but I hustled to make connections, and now it was time to actually go. Once again, my father was the one to give me the push I needed, booking a ticket for us to visit the Bay Area for 10 days — our very first trip to the U.S. for both of us, and assuring me that even if I didn’t find a job, I’d figure something out.&quot;<p>So, make my own safety net by having my parents pay for a 10 day trip to a foreign country&#x2F;job market that I want to work in?<p>&quot;I know this works because I had to do it. During the 2002 Silicon Valley downturn, I got laid off. Panic set in. Here I was, now living in the country illegally, crashing on a friend’s couch in San Francisco, and I had to figure out what to do to stay in the U.S.. There was no time to wallow or doubt myself. I had to get out there and start meeting people. I joined a few other networking organizations and Ryze.com, and networked hard. I made it known I needed a job and went on many interviews only to get rejected many times, or rejecting a few offers that just didn’t feel right. Finally, at the 11th hour, something clicked.&quot;<p>So desperate that you were able to reject offers?<p>There are some good tips in this article, but it also seems oblivious to the fact that a lot of the success was born from circumstance and luck.