WHEN LUCK CONTRIBUTED TO MAKING GREAT THINGS HAPPEN by Khadija Mazen
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t’s true that great achievements take a lot of effort and talent, but what about luck? There have been many instances where great things happened by simple chance, not because anything was done on purpose - this isn’t meant to discredit anyone’s effort. However, luck plays an important role by creating an opportunity that seems unexpected and wouldn’t have normally existed. And when things unexpectedly fall into the right place at the right time, the outcome could be great.
CATE BLANCHETT Cate Blanchett never planned on becoming an actress, it all happened with a bit of luck. After dropping out of university, Blanchett backpacked around the world and found herself in Egypt in 1990. Blanchett was in desperate need of money when she happened to be at the right time and place. She was randomly hired as an Extra on the late Ahmed Zaki’s movie Kaboria. Blanchett is an example of someone who felt lost and didn’t know what she wanted for her future. After not doing well in university, Blanchett felt she didn’t know what to do in life, but luck found her in Egypt. She would have never thought about pursuing an acting career if she didn’t appear in the movie. With two Oscars and many prestigious awards, Blanchett is one of the most successful actresses today. If you feel you have no luck, career wise, don’t hold back on taking an opportunity that comes along. If you’re lucky, it may be perfect for you. We spend so much time looking for the right thing, but sometimes luck just happens to find us. J.K ROWLING J.K. Rowling was living on welfare when she wrote Harry Potter. Of course Rowling put a lot of effort into writing her 90,000 word-long novel, nevertheless, she was rejected from every publisher. Her luck
came when a London publisher agreed to publish Harry Potter after the CEO’s daughter loved reading the first chapter. Had the CEO’s daughter not read the first chapter, Rowling would have gotten rejected, yet again. But after getting lucky, Rowling got a publishing deal and the exposure she needed to become the first author billionaire. EMMA WATSON Emma Watson was originally signed on to play Emma Stone’s character, Mia, in La La Land, for which Stone won an Oscar for Best Actress. Although a regretful Watson had to drop out, if she chose La La Land, she wouldn’t have been cast to film Beauty and the Beast. Luckily for Watson, Beauty and the Beast became a commercial success and made over $1.2 billion dollars at the box office. This is a perfect example of feeling like you’re not able to achieve the success you want. When you feel frustration or regret over an opportunity that slips away, luck comes in and when one door closes, another one opens.
Luck plays a part in the great things these lucky ladies have done, and considering themselves “lucky” isn’t a career weakness. Think of luck as one step on the ladder to reaching your goals. Hard work and determination mixed with a bit of luck can be the recipe to success. But the luck doesn’t last unless you take that opportunity to your advantage and work hard to succeed. September 2021 • IDENTITY 11
