Hello , and welcome to Friday Coffee with MAP!

Legendary film studio head Samuel Goldwyn once said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”

This week’s piece asks us to pause and reexamine popular understandings of the relationship with luck and hard work– urging us to rethink our faith in hard work alone. In a culture obsessed with control and self-determination, writer Ed Smith reminds us that luck—the moments of chance, timing, and circumstance we can’t engineer—plays a vital and civilizing role in every success story. The piece shows why respecting the role of luck in our lives can bring incredible benefit.

Happy reading!

“Opinion: In Defense of Luck”
_{from Ed Smith of Four Seasons Magazine}

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Smith jumps in by noting that it has become fashionable to devalue luck as it relates to personal success. Tech founders like Jack Dorsey theorize that “success is never accidental,” signaling a comforting illusion that life is fully controllable through logic and effort. This isn’t accurate, Smith argues, noting that this mindset replaces humility with hubris and blinds us to the randomness that shapes success.

The phrase “You make your own luck” persists because it reassures us we’re in charge. But Smith notes this linguistic trick reveals our bias for mastery over mystery, even when randomness drives much of life.

Smith argues that in a world of accelerating speed, we equate success with moral virtue—hard work, grit, and discipline—while ignoring the advantages of luck. This faith in meritocracy blinds us to randomness and breeds arrogance. Recognizing luck, he argues, restores humility, empathy, and fairness in how we view others.

Smith argues that erasing luck from the story of our lives distorts what success really means. Luck and effort don’t compete—they collaborate. Success blends chance with choice. The most successful often stumble on opportunities through openness and curiosity, not perfect planning & execution. Smith suggests adaptability, not control, determines who thrives when luck enters the equation.

Acknowledging luck should not be taboo. Accepting how much lies beyond our control fosters humility and gratitude and reminds us that success and failure aren’t purely moral outcomes. Effort and skill are essential but never enough.

By respecting luck’s role, Smith writes, we regain empathy and a more honest sense of achievement.

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So tell us: When you look back at the biggest moments in your career or life, how much do you credit preparation—and how much do you credit luck?

Thank you,

The MAP Team

MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors | A Member of Advisory Services Network, LLC
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