Another piece by an unknown author. Continue to excavate among my papers, which I have decided to destroy instead of donating the collection to a major university. – JDW
When I was still struggling to get my Ph.D. my adviser gave me a piece of advice that I will never forget. Supposedly this advice was passed down from a mentor of his who happens to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics. It had a big impression on me as it must have on my adviser since my adviser told me this no less than a dozen times.
Success is like a locked door which becomes unlocked for short periods. You show up every day and try the knob. If its locked the only solution is to give up or try again tomorrow. On some problems the door may never open but you will never know if you do not show up to try.
The funny thing is that once the door opens, it becomes easier to open again and again. Is knocking hard work? Yes, sometimes it is. When it opens, does it sometimes feel like luck? Yes, but you would never experience that luck if you were not in the right place at the right time.
With anything in life, sometimes the hard work is just showing up without a clue what will happen. However, if you show up, willing to work, with a good attitude, good things will happen eventually.
It may eventually feel like luck. But it was really just following the formula for success.