Why Hard Luck May Be the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You
Good luck might win applause, but it’s hardship that sculpts the soul. In a world chasing comfort, Grantland Rice dares us to choose courage.
Good Luck and Bad
Grantland Rice
GOOD Luck is like a down hill tide
That helps to make an easy start,
Where one may paddle, drift or glide
Without much effort on his part;
But though it takes you to the goal
And brings you in the world’s acclaim,
It builds no fibre for your soul
Nor molds you for the rougher game.
Bad Luck is like an uphill sweep,
The test of courage and of class,
Where troubles grow and shadows creep
And none except the valiant pass ;
Where through raw gales that blow but ill
The entry clings to this lone dream :
The stalwart only stalks the hill
The gamefish only swims up stream.
If your main wish is but to win
Let Good Luck help to pull you through,
To know the cheering and the din
That go where laurel sprigs are due ;
But if you wish to build a heart
That scorns the fickle whims of Fate,
Take Hard Luck for the journey’s start
With rugged Trouble for a mate.
Reflection:
We often celebrate those who succeed, assuming their path was paved with fortune and ease. But what if life’s greatest growth comes not from ease, but from struggle? Grantland Rice’s poem “Good Luck and Bad” reminds us that smooth sailing rarely shapes us—it’s the uphill climb, the storm against our face, the resistance that builds our inner fiber.
Rice doesn’t dismiss good luck; he simply reveals its limits. It may carry us swiftly to applause, but it won’t prepare us for life’s inevitable storms. Bad luck, on the other hand, is the true tutor. It tests us, exposes our grit, and invites us to rise beyond comfort toward courage.
Hardship doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re being forged. And when you emerge—heart stronger, spine straighter—you’ll know you didn’t drift to shore… you swam upstream.
🧭 Three Questions for Deeper Reflection:
- Can you recall a time when “bad luck” shaped you into someone stronger or more resilient?
- Are there areas in your life where you’ve drifted on “good luck” but haven’t truly grown?
- What “uphill” challenge are you facing now—and how might it be forming your character rather than defeating you?