{"id":93762,"date":"2026-04-17T09:03:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T14:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/?p=93762"},"modified":"2026-04-17T09:03:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T14:03:41","slug":"is-your-success-due-to-hard-work-or-luck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/04\/is-your-success-due-to-hard-work-or-luck.html","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Success Due To Hard Work Or Luck?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s watch a TED talk today. Have you watched this talk from social psychologist\u00a0Paul Piff \u2013 Does money make you mean?<\/strong>\u00a0Their research team conducted various experiments to see how wealthy people behave. I\u2019m very curious about the role of luck in life. Let\u2019s see what they did in the Monopoly experiment.<\/p>\n

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Winning in Monopoly<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m sure everyone played Monopoly at least a few times when they were young. It\u2019s one of the most well-known board games in the world. Even I played the game as a kid in Thailand. I never liked Monopoly much, though. Someone always cheated and the game would finish with a fight. I also remember the game taking way too long and I\u2019d lose interest after a while. In contrast, RB40Jr (our son) loves Monopoly. <\/p>\n

Paul Piff ran a very interesting Monopoly study with hundreds of people at UC Berkley.\u00a0 First, they determine a \u201crich\u201d and a \u201cpoor\u201d player with a coin toss before starting the game. The \u201crich\u201d player had more starting money, rolled more dice, and received double $$ as they pass GO. The game was rigged so the \u201crich\u201d player can\u2019t lose.<\/p>\n

The result was quite interesting. The rich players consumed more (pretzels), became louder, more assertive, more confident, and yes, more full of themselves. When the game was over, the rich players attributed their success to their skill and talent. They felt\u00a0they deserved to win because they played well<\/b>. Largely forgotten was the coin toss at the beginning to determine who would get the advantage in the game. I\u2019m sure the loser didn\u2019t forget that coin toss, though.<\/p>\n

Wow, that\u2019s an interesting result. As a successful early retiree<\/a>, I feel like I\u2019m doing very well in the game of life. I attributed this to hard work, perseverance, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ability to try something new. I didn’t think luck has anything to do with it until recently. Now, I realize luck is a huge factor. I\u2019m extremely lucky that I have a supportive family and a good education. I also feel incredibly lucky that I live in the good old U.S. of A. Unlike many of our readers, I wasn\u2019t born here. My parents immigrated to the US when I was 12 and that made a huge difference in our lives.<\/p>\n

Sure, it was difficult in the beginning as immigrants, but we worked hard and improved our lives over the years. I have no idea where I\u2019d be if we stayed in Thailand. Most of my cousins there are college educated, but there are not many good employment opportunities. Most jobs don\u2019t pay enough for them to buy their own home and many of them still live with their parents. That\u2019s the norm over there, though. One cousin kept changing majors and she is having a difficult time finding a good career. Some started their own businesses and they are doing okay. Everyone is making do, but I feel incredibly lucky to be where I am \u2013 a stay-at-home dad\/blogger<\/a> in the US.<\/p>\n

Start with a good hand<\/h2>\n

Now that I think about it more, I realize I started out with a lot of advantages.<\/p>\n