A single success is called luck; sustained success is called cognition.

This era has never lacked the myth of getting rich overnight:
Buying into the real estate market, catching the internet wave, trading cryptocurrencies, hitting a speculative stock, going viral through traffic... One success is too easy to rely on luck, but those who can succeed for ten, thirty, or sixty years are definitely not relying on luck.

What is true skill?
It's not winning on a single trend, but winning repeatedly—three, five, ten times—changing industries, crossing cycles, going against the tide, still able to win and make big money.

Just like Warren Buffett:
Managing Berkshire Hathaway for over 60 years, with a market value increase of 55,000 times, not relying on a single bull market, but on precise judgments time and again, stable profits over 60 years. It’s not luck; it’s embedding cognition deep into the bones.

In 1988, bottomed out Coca-Cola, held for 36 years, with an annualized return of nearly 20%, relying on brand monopoly to traverse bull and bear markets;
In 2003, bought China National Petroleum, invested 400 million USD, exited with more than 7 times the return, understanding cycles and undervaluation;
In 2016, heavily invested in Apple, treating tech stocks as consumer stocks, turning 31 billion into 174 billion;
Looking at Li Ka-shing:
From plastic flowers to real estate, ports, energy, technology, spanning over half a century and dozens of industries, during financial crises, Asian storms, and industry recessions, he is always greedy when others are fearful, counter-cyclically investing, always standing in the position of a winner.

In 1986, during a sharp oil price drop, bottomed out Hess with 3.2 billion HKD, was criticized as “taking over,” but later earned over 370 billion HKD, with an annualized return of 18%;
In 2007, invested in Facebook / 2013, invested in Zoom, early layout in tech, returns hundreds or thousands of times;
Compare those who are “here today, gone tomorrow”:
Relying on a trend to make a wave, losing everything in the next wave;
Relying on luck to become famous, but quickly losing their persona;
Relying on lottery wins or quick money, ending up heavily in debt.

Winning once is probability; winning every time is ability.
Accidental wealth is luck; continuous compound interest is cognition.
Recently, many people blindly worship various big shots, but there's no need—over 90% of big shots rely on luck. Unless they can succeed multiple times in a row, time will prove everything.