Ability is Nothing Without Opportunity - Napoléon Bonaparte

Inspired by: My Sony sister's farewell mail 

Today, I got a farewell’s mail from my SOTHAI colleague who will be leave Sony Family for her further career path ended of this month.

Actually, Resign & Recruitment is a common life cycle for every organization, but for all of us (in term of the employee point of view) is the next important chapter of our life which we don’t exactly know this will be the happy or tough chapter since almost 60-70% of your time (during the weekday) are spent in the working place.

Of course, the objective of sending a farewell’s mail is for saying Good-Bye & Thank You to his/her colleagues during working together, BUT if we deeply consider about this kind of this mail.. it can give us some hints about… Everything must be changed when time comes, but Each Change is also depend on their Chance as well... 

For instance, someone need to change to work in a better job, but they just dream and wait for CHANCE will walk into their life without any effort or improve their capability…thus, their chance is supposed to be only a daydream, isn’t it?

With this, I usually bless them who will go for explore their new experience with the blessing word “Capability is Nothing Without Chance”

Honestly, this blessing is adapted from one of immortal epigram of The Great French Military General Napoléon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821)

I believe that all of you roughly know & count on his capability in term of his militaristic strategy, diplomacy and leadership skill. But some of you may don’t know what the happen with him at his last battle “Waterloo” and what is the background of this epigram…

Definitely, French military troop was the strongest military troop at that period… even Britain & Russia troops had to become an alliance in order to battle with French troop.

Napoleon leaded 250K infantries with the superior military strategy & tactics to battle with Britain & Russia troops, But his plan couldn’t be implemented successfully as expected due to a worse climate and terrible troop location that is one of reason that his troop was defeated by Britain & Russia troops at Waterloo.

 

One of historical book mentions that “during that battle field, Napolen realized that his troops was going to lose this war to Britain troop, but it wasn’t because of his military strategy failure, but those of external factors which he can’t control likes a worse climate & environment that made his troops couldn’t follow according with his strategy…That made his troop lose the OPPORTUNITY to beat his rivals troops in time…

With this slow & barriers, Britain & Russia troops could read his plan and able to come up with an counter attack plan and eventually able to completely beat French troops.  

And this is the background of this epigram…When Napoleon known what the battle result would be, he looked at on the sky, and say his immortal epigram that is 

“Ability is Nothing Without Opportunity”

It’s quite impressive epigram, right? I don’t mean Ability or Capability isn’t important (definitely, that’s your invaluable asset) or give up toward any troubles occur, BUT what I need to say is…even you can’t anticipate when your chance or opportunity will come, but you must keep walking with your trust, believe and your optimistic in order to pursuit on your happiness & success because of I believe in the formula of success.

Success = Capability + Opportunity + Never Give Up

PS. I believe that she will have a success career path in the next chapter of her life :)

OOTMAN WALKER
18 September 2012