What You Think About Matters.

If you think that life is meritocratic, or your country, or your company, you’re likely to believe that outcomes are strictly due to skills. This will cause you to falsely conjoin an analysis of your decision-making skills with an analysis of the quality of your outcomes; in particular, you’re unlikely to learn much from your successes other than becoming smug. Much worse than that, you’re likely to look down on those who aren’t yet successful and have too much regard for those who are wealthy. Meditating on meritocracy is a great way to become a bad person.

The more you reflect on the role that luck plays in life, the less you’ll find yourself fawning over the rich (and the more approachable you’ll find them) and the more respectful you’ll find yourself of those who have not yet found great financial success. Reflecting on luck is to bathe in gratitude for those things that have gone well, which is a great way to become a nicer person.