It is strange.
Luck seems to be something few people, especially in the startup world, want to acknowledge.
All success stories tells about how hard work and some originality was the key.
But for me, to have success you need a bit of luck. I have been refuted on this, with answers such as "there is no such thing as luck, it's just timing". No, there is certainly something called luck, and you need luck to have success. Before you go on telling me that you just need to work hard, and believe in what you do, let me be clear: Yes, you have to work hard and not give up. You got to play the game to win. That doesn't mean that luck isn't part of winning though. Not at all.
How to be more lucky
Richard Branson said, "Chance favours the prepared mind. The more you practice, the luckier you become.". To be lucky is to spot the right opportunities at the right time, and be able to act on it. You won't see these opportunities unless you have practiced a lot to spot them. You won't be able to act on them unless your network, own skills and capital are ready. The hard facts of life is that circumstances does have a say in your outcome, and whether you fail or succeed. The good thing is that in most cases you can improve your circumstances.
How to be more sad and depressed
You become sad and depressed when all depends on your own skills. When you reject that other people around you and luck, has a say in your success, your reality simply won't match your expectations. You have to be patient. You have to work hard to become more lucky. And you have to not give up, try new ideas and change your perception from time to time. Acknowledge that having the right people around you, and a fair bit of luck is vital for success.
Success is hard work sprinkled with luck
Success in large terms is very hard work, mixed with good luck. Good luck opens the doors, hard work makes you act on this luck. Luck and hard work intertwines to create success. From my personal experience I definitely see this. At times I have had the right people with me, and the right opportunities and we had great success (which made a feedback loop of more success). At other times I simply didn't see the values in people or the opportunities and I failed despite hard work. And I felt absolutely miserable.
Don't despair. Be patient. Secure yourself for the long run. Don't risk your health and family on getting success. Instead work hard on what you believe in, and if it doesn't succeed the first time, try again. Try a hundred times, and then try one more time again. Your health and people around you will always be more important than having success in this moment.