Yet another birth order story

I've always been a little fascinated by birth order and its relationship to personality, what-have-you. I definitely can see that there are some trends - especially within personalities - (well, obviously there are or people wouldn't be continuously harping on it.) And I find it fascinating that, according to the article linked in the title, every astronaut who has gone into space has been either the firstborn - or the first son (I assume they mean American astronauts, but don't know, they didn't specify.) As have been all the actors who played James Bond.

But at the same time, I see it as just one more way we look to science for the ultimate cop-out.

See, I can't be successful because I was the "middle child".

Whatever. To say that your position in a family or in a society is the reason behind your inability to do something that you want to do is a cop out. Becuase there are people out there who do make it happen. If you're not succeeding where you want to succeed - maybe you're not really trying hard enough.

That said - sure, there are going to be things that are harder for some people than others. There are going to be some people who are in the right place at the right time and it seems like golden beams of sunshine follow them through the midst of hurricanes. But at the same time, there are numerous people who claw their way out of the sucking mud, stand in the rain to wash off, and trudge forward, despite any "predetermined" challenges they face.

And seriously - who's more successful? The person who gets everything they want without really having to work for it, or the one who struggles to achieve and makes it?