You Make Your Own Luck, Or Not

I have never been so arrogant as to think that all of my planning, hard work and skill in achieving a particular objective was derived from anything other than good luck. Nor have I ever been so apathetic as to think that all of my planning, hard work and skill in an unsuccessful pursuit of an objective was derived from bad luck. To be sure, through diligence and tenacity, we make our own luck, but, in the final analysis, we still have to be very lucky, whether it be some factor from the distant past, such as where we were born, our parents, our teachers, our friends, our partners, or some contemporary factor, such as a new acquaintance or 'lucky break' at precisely the right moment. By that same token, through our actions, we also make our own bad luck, and though we can reason that chance plays a part in either good or bad luck, I contend that we should always lean towards being excessively grateful for anything we accomplish, and thoughtfully introspective for everything we try and fail to do.