I’ve received a lot in life.
And I mean, a lot.
A Harvard degree.
A Fulbright scholarship.
A solid, value-driven family.
Traineeships and opportunities in top-tier firms.
And yes, I’ve worked hard for all of that. Very hard.
But that’s only half the story.
This week, while meditating, my mind started chasing one of those quiet thoughts that refuses to go away. You know the kind: soft, persistent, like a loose thread in a well-worn sweater.
It started after talking with three brilliant lawyers in their thirties. Each of them respected, successful, ticking all the boxes. But all three, independently, confessed a certain nostalgia for the pre-2007 world.
“Back then,” one of them said, “you could make millions, attract clients, become a partner without spitting your blood for it. There were alignments.”
Later that week, I found myself at various events, meeting several senior partners from top-tier firms. Different generation, different vibe. I asked about their path. The narrative? Success is all about effort. Work ethic. Discipline. Sacrifice. No mention of timing, no nod to fortune.
And I thought: isn’t that interesting?
That evening, my mind (still in meditation mode) drifted to the realm of accidental breakthroughs.
Columbus wanted to reach India. He stumbled upon America.
Alexander Fleming left a petri dish out and came back to find penicillin.
John Pemberton was trying to cure headaches. He mixed coca leaves, kola nuts, and carbonated water—and invented Coca-Cola.
I could go on.
Perry Spencer noticed a chocolate bar melting in his pocket while working with radar. Voilà: the microwave.
Spencer Silver wanted to create a super-strong adhesive. He ended up with a weak glue no one knew what to do with, until a colleague used it to mark a page. And the Post-it was born.
Let’s face it: serendipity matters.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe in the long game. In commitment. In discipline.
I believe in waking up early, journaling, meditating, exercising, failing, learning, pivoting, repeating.
I believe in grittiness (you know I’m the gritty one, right?).
And more than everything, I believe in what my grandmother used to say: Aiutati che il ciel ti aiuta (help yourself, and the sky will help you – though often in strange, nonlinear, poetic ways).
But that’s not the point.
The point is: I’d love to see a bit more humility.
From law firm partners.
From VCs.
From CEOs.
In interviews. In conversation. On LinkedIn. In boardrooms.
We live in a culture so obsessed with achievement that we confuse it with virtue.
If something good happens to us, we assume we earned it.
And then I remembered something Slash (the guitarist from Guns N’ Roses) once said (I believe it was on Rolling Stone, but I could be wrong on that).
When asked about the secret behind his success, he shrugged and said:
“I don’t know. There are so many guitarists out there better than me.”
In doubt, be like Slash.
