All he really did was state (and prove) the obvious. But sometimes the obvious is exactly what we need to hear. People, Americans especially, are suckers for those stories of individual success and personal triumph. Bill Gates. Mozart. The Beatles. We like to think they got where they are because of sheer genious. But Gladwell reminds us that success is less about extraordinary talent and more about extraordinary opportunities. It's timing. It's upbringing and cultural influence. It's being lucky enough to be given a chance, smart enough to recognize it, and having the luxury of taking advantage of it.
His message couldn't be more topical. There's this recession, heard of it? It's effecting (or affecting?) each of us in one way or another. It will make some of us better and stronger. Force us to be more creative, tap underutilized skills or learn new ones. For others, it will be their downfall. And a lot of it has to do with things beyond our control.
Any success I meet pursuing jobs and careers that make me happy will be less about my ambition and skills and more about timing. If there wasn't a recession right now, I wouldn't have been laid off from a job I dreaded every single day. And I might have stayed in a career that left me unfulfilled indefinitely. I also got laid off at a time when I don't have a family to feed. I don't have a mortgage to pay. And I'm young enough to change paths without too much consequence (although I believe it's never too late to change).
I got lucky. I got laid off at the exact right time in my life. I know that under other circumstances, March 12 could have had very different consequences. But because I have perspective, all I can feel right now is lucky.
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