Philosophy Discussion Forums | A Humans-Only Club for Open-Minded Discussion & Debate

[Unique Mary Iloakasia]

I agree that to be successful is a choice one has to make. You have to show up everyday and put in the work. Whether it is easy or not.

[Jayy Davis]

Success can be seen as a choice in the sense that our decisions and actions can significantly influence our achievements and outcomes.

[Boring Pigeon]

While luck undoubtedly plays a role in certain circumstances, your argument for the primacy of choice is compelling. It's a harsh truth, but perhaps necessary to jolt people out of their victim mentality. However, I wonder if there's a middle ground. Could it be that success is often a combination of choice, preparation, and a degree of serendipity?

[Duru Bruno]

These are undeniable truths! I firmly believe that with unwavering determination and a committed mindset, one can undoubtedly attain their goals. Our thoughts and decisions hold the power to shape our destiny, and by choosing to cultivate a positive and driven mentality, we can unlock our full potential and achieve success in all aspects of life.

[HUIYAN WEN]

This perspective really challenges the common narrative around luck and success. I appreciate the emphasis on self-responsibility and honesty in setting and pursuing goals. It’s true that when we fully commit to something, we often find that 'bad luck' is less of an obstacle than we might have thought. Success is indeed a choice, and it starts with being brutally honest with ourselves about what we truly want and how much effort we’re willing to put in.

[Jennifer Bells]

Success is a choice. There is an urgency in becoming success. it is a choice which must be made by every concerned party. It is a great thing to be different.

[MAHAD BAIG MIRZA]

Yes , I am a strong believer of this and my own life is clear example for myself for this. Success often comes down to the choices we make. By setting clear goals, working hard, learning from mistakes, staying motivated, and seizing opportunities, we create the path to achieving our dreams. It’s about making decisions that move us closer to our goals and sticking with it even when things get tough.

[Hana Hasegawa]

I believe that success is a deliberate decision, because regardless of the obstacles or challenges, if you commit to achieving success and dedicate the necessary effort, you will ultimately attain it. In essence, success is within reach if you choose to pursue it with determination and hard work.

[La Dunar]

I think this message presents a strong, no-nonsense argument that success is entirely within our control, dismissing luck as an excuse used by people who aren’t fully committed to their goals. It emphasizes personal responsibility, claiming that failure often comes from dishonesty—whether with others or with oneself. The comparison of goals to choices like not cheating or quitting addiction drives home the point that success, like any other decision, is simply a matter of making the right choice. It’s a tough-love approach, urging people to stop hiding behind excuses and face the reality that success is always within reach if they truly choose it. The message is clear: take ownership of your goals, stop blaming external factors, and realize that you’re in control.

[Slayton Natasha Tillett]

I agree tho for some others much efforts are not needed to succeed while for some they need to put in extra effort to succeed.

[João Ramos]

For 99.9%+ of people and 99.9%+ of goals, even very very bad luck won't stop you, and success is a choice.

Show me someone who says that for them luck is a factor, and I'll show you someone who's either defining their goals irrationally or dishonestly, or (more likely) someone who isn't giving 100% and is not actually choosing success.

Luck is a factor for those who claim to have a goal but only go at it half-hearted and half-assed. Luck is a factor for them, indeed, but that's because they are not really choosing success.

Imagine getting cheated on by your spouse, and then the spouse says, "Oh, I had a goal to not cheat on you, and I worked really hard at it, but, you know, bad luck struck."

Of course, they won't say that. When someone isn't taking full self-responsibility for all of their choices, they start defining their goals in irrational or dishonest ways to make it seem like they "tried" and failed. But there is no try. To try is to lie. Success is a choice, but those who don't choose it will often lie, including lying about what their real goal is, including lying themself with denial and self-delusion.

Even if you have a wild goal like becoming a millionaire, success is still a choice, 99.99%+ of the time.

It's as infinitely easy (just a matter of choice) as it is for a spouse to not cheat or an alcoholic to stop drinking.

Of all these things, failure-choosers will say it's luck not just choice. They are wrong, and almost certainly lying to themselves too.

Success is a choice, but most don't choose it.

And those who don't choose success struggle to fully accept the truth of the phrase "success is a choice". It can be met with anger, denial, or other cognitive dissonance.

Addicts find comfort in pretending to be out of control and in blaming imaginary phantoms for their torture rather than admit they are really their own torturer, and rather than admit they are in 100% full control of their own happiness.

All humans are on the addiction spectrum.

What about you? Are you pretending to be out of control, pretending to have goals that are not really goals but just try-ridden wishes about so-called luck? Or are you honestly looking at all the infinite things you can do and all the things you can have, and then, from that huge wonderful menu, choosing what you want with infinite ease?

As long as you are honest with yourself and others, you will look at the right menu. As long as you look at the right menu, you will know that success is a choice.

Choose it and you'll be successful. Don't and you won't.

What you want you can have. But you do have to really want it, and you do have to really choose it.


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You are right. Even if someone says that some individuals have advantages over others (this could mean better education, better looks, more money to get things, contacts, etc.) even the least privileged individual can be successful.

And here, I am not referring only to money or fame. History has shown countless cases of "unlikely successes." Usually, those who play the victim or believe that they cannot achieve something due to some specific barrier are being used by manipulators or people who want to profit from the discontent of others. That usually happens with politicians who would instead leave people in situations of dependence rather than empower them. After all, who is going to come up with the solution, right?

[Brandon Gates 7]

Yes, success is a choice. The choice to be hardworking, the choice to define your goals, the choice to outline the plans in achieving your goal. and other things. Truly, success is a choice.

[James Pain]

Success is really a choice. We all know what to do to be successful. We are our biggest enemy in this regard.

[Divine Stephens]

I agree with you. Success is a choice. Every day some people wake-up choosing to be hardworking till they achieve their goals. On the other hand, their are people waiting for someone to encourage them, give them money, open a business for them etc.

[Justin Henrichs]

That's very unfair to say in my opinion. Considering the fact that some people are lucky and have the necessary foundations to be successful. I think everyone wants to be successful but they don't have the necessary tools to be.