Reply #4: What you're saying isn't very different from my "shit happens" option...

[Silent3]

...all you're doing is putting extra emphasis on the part humans can and do control, which is already included in my "shit happens" explanation.

Sometimes the shit that happens is fatal: no ball, no court, game over.
Sometimes the shit that happens is beyond fixable: the ball is in your court, but the game is to hit the ball over a 20-mile high net. You lose.

If it sounds like I'm over-emphasizing the negative it's only because so many "create your own reality" folk conveniently gloss over the negative outcomes in life. I totally acknowledge that positive attitudes can help -- they just aren't all powerful. I totally acknowledge that perseverance is important -- but perseverance won't overcome everything.

The ugly side of some versions of the "positive thinking/perseverance" doctrine is that it can have a nasty blame-the-victim side. Your line "Apparently you're feeling pessimistic and somewhat un-resourceful. I'm sorry." has a strong whiff of that smug tone to it, in fact.

My own life is going quite well, thank you very much. I just don't feel the need to categorize those who are less successful than myself as losers who didn't think positively enough and persevere enough. In fact, that kind of thinking sounds downright Republican to me.