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Comment by jakejake | Hacker News Reader

I found the story really interesting. It's tough because you don't always recognize which opportunities lead you to great things, and which are dead ends. Only in hindsight can you see it.

Though for this guy, I'm not sure it would have made much difference. He turned down a great offer arrogantly without even considering it, then proceeded to go on a drinking binge and blame others for his problems. This isn't really the mentality and behavior of successful people.

You’re never a loser until you quit trying. - Mike Ditka

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Signing a contract in a language you don't understand is not an opportunity anyone on here should recommend.

The guy was a few days before an Olympic final he rightly should have won.

After that would have been the time for dealing with offers.

Agreed. The reality is that the offer was probably still on the table in roughly the same form. After the Olympics, he could had the offer examined, weighed his options, and had pretty much the same starting point as Mayweather.

I won't bother to speculate whether he would have had the same success from that starting point. But he did NOT lose all opportunities in the instant he turned that deal down.

All of that is true, yet there he is... broke, bitter and full of regret.

True, but like you pointed out, it might not have made a difference as he proceeded to go on a drinking binge and be bitter about the whole situation. Perhaps if he kept his head on straight, he would've still had a moderately successful career in boxing.

I couldn't agree more with true greats are persistent individuals. He simply let his emotions get the best of him.

> This isn't really the mentality and behavior of successful people

Thinking you know what traits do and don't make someone 'successful', or that everyone shares your definition of 'success', is probably also not the mentality of successful people.

Whatever. The actions of Todorov as reported in the article solidly back up the GP's point.

If you think the traits of successful people are unknowable and do not share common themes, then you have not done much reading on the subject.

Why would I want to read books about people that fall under your definition of 'success'? Do I have to read about and fetishize war profiteering too? Just follow the money, right? Jobs over Wozniak? Zuckerburg over Borlaug?

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