You need luck all the time.. Without luck.. once can have an accident when you are crossing the road.. Or buying a stock.
Rembember "Value lies in the eye of the beholder" and you may have value but you need another valuer to identify that value. With Margin of safety, are you not talking about StopLosses...
You are bound to be a winner if you work hard on yourself and try to parctice the craft that you already know.
I am sure Most of the guys (and gals) on the Forum have not seen what a bear market looks like. One you see how "Value" could be destroyed, you will know the need to accept your mistake and to keep StopLosses.
Only when the tide turns.. you know who was wearing what -- Warren Buffet
And a Bull market lifts all boats and true value is only discovered after 2-3 years of bear markets and not 2-3 years of bull markets. Look when Buffet purchased most of his stocks.. End of 1974 after Dow was Down 60% from the top (in 2 years). Before that he had purchased in 1956.
Rembember earlier this year.. Gold was the best "value" against inflation. and Rembember.. Prices make money and not reasons.
This is the reason why i had written "Optimism for a Fundamentalist is the highest at the Tops while the Optimism for a Technician is the greatest at the Bottom".
Read that once more...
"Everything works.. What matters is what works for you".