this is who I am, you can like it or not On a recent Oprah show, she said something about how she "doesn't believe in luck", doesn't consider herself "lucky", but rather that we create our own luck when preparation meets opportunity. And that kinda made me stop and ponder.

Oprah's not lucky?

I think we have a clash of perspectives in the world these days. As the rich get richer and more and more of the world's population find themselves "poor", and the values of capitalism remain prevalent in the Western world, we must find ways to justify our excesses. Nobody can deny that Oprah is a generous woman - nope, that's not the point. Does she deserve to be paid the money that she makes? Yes, according to the distributors who want to make her show available, and yes, according to the advertisers who will pay heavily to expose her audience to their product. And does she produce a good product? Yes, Oprah sheds light on numerous issues and helps countless people. She's worth it. Just don't call her lucky.

I actually think that this "preparation meeting opportunity" thing is valid to a degree, but for some people I think it's just something they tell themselves so they don't feel guilty about their material success. And it definitely shows a healthy sense of self-esteem: believing you possess a unique quality that entitles you to massive reward isn't delusional - but it might be wishful thinking...

I get it - preparation is something you can do yourself. You study like crazy, you work your butt off, you schmooze with the right people, you attend the right functions, you adhere to a set of behaviours that will put you on the path to success. You should do all these things if you are truly motivated. But how do you account for this elusive meeting with "opportunity"? Are we all granted equal access to Opportunity? Was Oprah more prepared for Opportunity when it came knocking than her peers before her?

[I have more to say on this, but I'm going to leave it at that for now.]  | ¶ 5:53 p.m.