Luck

My message to my sons

Dean Loh
2 min readJul 27, 2023

Have you heard the tale of two men searching for diamonds? One of them decides to quit after a long attempt, but the other persists, ultimately discovering the diamond.

You might argue that the second person had better luck than the first.

Let’s take a moment to contemplate the concept of “luck.” People hold various opinions and definitions of it. Some believe luck is a heavenly blessing, attainable only through prayer. For me, luck is about being prepared for the right opportunity when it arises.

Returning to the story of the two men, why did the first man give up? Perhaps he ran out of food, strength, time, or faith. In any case, he wasn’t adequately prepared for further efforts, and he may have convinced himself that the endeavor was futile. On the other hand, the second man likely had more time on his hands, affording him the luxury of investing greater effort. He simply wasn’t in a rush. He probably told himself that finding a diamond would be wonderful, but if not, that would be acceptable too. He was prepared for the possibility of failure.

Now, observe the difference. The first man had given his all in pursuit of the diamond, but he was more susceptible to giving up due to limited resources. In contrast, the other man, better prepared, discovered the diamond because he could handle the potential loss.

The moral of the story: Never let desperation drive your actions; always reserve some of what you have and refrain from exhausting everything. Learn beyond what you need to know and make more friends than you require. Being prepared ensures that when the opportunity arises, you’ll experience better luck!

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Dean Loh
Dean Loh

Written by Dean Loh

I’m using this space for jotting down my messages for my sons, for them to read when I’m gone.