Absolute Success is Luck. Relative Success is Hard Work.

Luck is often a combination of the right connections, the right timing, and many other influences that cannot be predicted. Hard work typically gets better results than you would with less effort.

Luck matters more in an absolute sense and hard work matters more in a relative sense. Absolute success is luck. Relative success is choices and habits.

The absolute view is more global. What explains the difference between a wealthy person born in America and someone born into extreme poverty?

The relative view is more local. What explains the difference in results between you and everyone who went to the same school or grew up in the same neighborhood?