To me, success is choice and opportunity.

The words of Harrison Ford, a man who once toiled as a carpenter before becoming a legend of the screen, ring with a wisdom both simple and profound: “To me, success is choice and opportunity.” These are not the words of one who was handed greatness, but of one who earned it through years of obscurity, patience, and perseverance. For in this teaching, Ford reminds us that success is not merely the crown at the end of the road, but the freedom to choose one’s path and the presence of doors that open along the way.

To speak first of choice is to speak of freedom—the ability to decide the direction of one’s life. Many live shackled, not by iron chains but by the chains of fear, expectation, or circumstance. But true success, Ford tells us, lies in the moment when one can say, “This is the road I choose.” It is not wealth alone that gives value to a life, but the power to direct it with one’s own will. To choose is to declare, “I am the master of my steps, the captain of my ship.” And in that declaration lies dignity.

The second pillar is opportunity, for choice without opportunity is like a bird with wings but no sky. Opportunities are the open doors, the chance encounters, the sudden breaks that life provides. Yet opportunity alone is not enough—it must meet with choice, for many see the door but are too fearful to walk through it. Ford himself had opportunities delayed for years, rejected in auditions, overlooked by producers. Yet when the moment came—when George Lucas called him into a galaxy far, far away—Ford was ready, willing to choose boldly. Thus his life changed, and with it, the world of cinema.

History offers us another tale of this truth. Consider the story of Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery with no choice, no freedom, no visible opportunity. Yet within her spirit burned the determination to be free. When the chance came, she seized it, escaping northward. But she did not stop there. Each time opportunity arose, she returned to the South to lead others to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Her success was not measured in riches or fame but in the sacred combination of choice—the will to act—and opportunity—the path made open before her. Through that union, she became a liberator and a symbol of courage for generations.

What, then, is the meaning of Ford’s words? That success is not a prize handed down, but a balance between what life offers and what we dare to choose. A man may have all the opportunities in the world, yet without courage to choose, he gains nothing. Another may have few opportunities, yet if he is steadfast, even the smallest opening may lead to greatness. Success is not the absence of hardship—it is the presence of readiness when chance and choice meet.

The lesson for us is clear: seek not merely wealth or comfort, but guard and cherish your freedom to choose. Do not surrender it to fear, nor to the voices of others who would dictate your life. And when opportunities appear, whether grand or humble, do not hesitate. Seize them, even if the path is uncertain, for opportunities rarely return once ignored. In this balance, between will and chance, between courage and opening, lies the true measure of success.

Practically, this means: strengthen your will by making small choices each day with intention. Do not drift aimlessly, but set a course for your life. Prepare your skills, your heart, and your mind, so that when opportunity comes, you are ready to act. And above all, live with gratitude, for every opportunity is a gift, and every choice a chance to carve your destiny.

So remember Ford’s wisdom: success is not luck, nor accident—it is the sacred meeting of choice and opportunity. Guard your freedom, sharpen your will, open your eyes to the doors that life presents, and step through them with courage. In doing so, you will not only find success—you will create it.