Luck

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher I ever saw. He always pitches when the other team doesn't score any runs." — Tim McCarver

When you see someone succeed, you may perceive it as the result of many different factors. Perhaps luck, fortune or happenstance. Perhaps God given talent. Skill even. Even what is perceived is not seen though, the hours and hours of work put in behind t he scenes. Rarely does someone excel at an endeavor without it, the blood sweat and tears of years of practice, study, dedication to craft. When you see someone land the monster, take the time to ask them what they did to achieve it. How long they had been working it. Consider their background, their schooling, how many books they read, seminars they attended, phone calls they made, letters they wrote, advice they had asked for. What they had done throughout their career and their loves to achieve at that moment what they had set as a goal. What we can't see is more important than what we do see. All we have as spectators is the finality of the achievement, none of the groundwork enabling it. If only we could view it as a whole, appreciate it more, maybe we all would learn more about what it requires to grasp that golden goose.