>With respect to personal achievement, Robin, you should know that the
>chances one has of making it to the goal are mostly affected by
>preparation and perseverance.
Depends on the goal. Some require special talent, some the right body, and
some really good luck. Most people have essentially no chance of ever being
a chess grandmaster, a basketball star, or a actor/actress, regardless of the
preparation or perseverence. One of my cousins has acted in numerous plays
and gone to many acting schools for a decade now and has gotten nowhere. A
friend of mine tried for years to get into scriptwriting - and I, a natural
critic, liked many of his works - but he never got anywhere past "let's do
lunch" and one flaky director.
>While going for it may be a long shot for
>those who only try, those who follow Yoda and live by "There is no try,
>do or do not." have good chances.
Preparation and perseverence are necessary, but not sufficient, to have good
chances. One must also try to do something for which one is well-suited.
Things which many, many people want to do but at which only a few succeed
are often things one's chances are poor no matter your determination.