Have you ever heard someone complain that he/she just isn’t lucky enough? Usually the conversation goes like this “Oh, I am just not lucky enough; I never win at anything.” People will chalk up all their failures in life to being unlucky. Many of these same people live their lives just hoping to get lucky. These are the folks who might dream of success but don’t do anything about it because they are waiting for that “big break” or the “right moment”, that point in time when they will get lucky.
The luck mindset can be crippling to your potential as a human being.
Luck is complete bullcrap.
It does not exist.
There is no such thing as good or bad luck. PERIOD! People aren’t born lucky or unlucky. What there is, however, is circumstance. Circumstances dictate what will and will not happen. As completely awesome as it would be, you are not going to get lucky and magically lose 10lbs overnight; and you most certainly will not get lucky and discover yourself a millionaire just because.
People aren’t born lucky; they have to make things happen. Stop waiting for lady luck to appear and take control of your own life.
Listen you are going to fail more often than succeed. It doesn’t boil down to luck. It’s just life. You have to stop saying “I’m unlucky”. Stop the self doubt and start believing and doing.
Posted: January 12, 2010 in: Thoughts On
I agree that positive thinking and hard work are key! I’m not lucky my restaurant did well during the economic downturn…it was smart business decisions and actions. Great post to keep spreading the good word!
Thanks Keith, I actually posted this because I just read another blog about lifestyle design where the author told his readers that some people are luckier than others. I also know some people who are missing out on life because they are stuck waiting for something magical to happen to them, rather than making it happen.
I agree that folks use “luck” as a big excuse for apathy and complacency. I also believe that those who choose to actively take charge of their life are, well…. more lucky. What I mean is that if you want to tip the odds of life in your favor, you have to try. I believe that wealth, peace, happiness, health, and all things positive tend to congregate where they are welcome. So, take charge, make a plan and pursue it. (What is the worst thing that can happen?) At the very least you reach your failures quicker, buying more time to learn from them, and make adjustments the next time around. All mega-achievers have failures along the line, what separates them from most is a combination of tenacity, and intentionality! So– Let’s Get Cracking!
I know people too who have trapped themselves in this mindset. They’ll completely pass up opportunity because they think they aren’t lucky enough.
My Dad made this simple for us (my brothers and I) when we were little. He always said, “People are not lucky. You put yourself in situations and make the right decisions in life to feel like you’re lucky.”
@parnellk63
Well just to be the contrarian…
There are a lot of self made folks out there, many who will claim their success is due completely to their hard work, discipline, cunning, etc. Talk to these types long enough and you will realize they have huge egos. But some successful people will wisely add that luck played a crucial role in their successes. They will recount that numerous folks work hard, and have great ideas, yet they did not prevail. If you are ahead of your time, or dealing with an unreceptive audience, no amount of effort will change the outcome. Additionally some endeavors, such as summiting K2 or Everest pivot less on skill and effort than the blessing of good weather, and not getting caught in avalanches. Climbers call it luck, we should too. And then there are “circumstances” such a being born with good looks or good connections – essential for the entertainment industry, but shown to influence success in most endeavors – that highly influences one’s destiny. I believe it is called winning the genetic lottery.
Claiming luck has nothing to do with our fates is both arrogant, as well as dismissive of affects beyond our control and perceptions. Alas there are many factors beyond our control that affect the outcome of any effort. You can call it circumstances if you wish, but in my book being in the right place at the right time entails good fortune, which is a matter of chance, and chance is synonymous with luck.
Ed
Excellent counter perspective Ed. And I do concur. Although there is really nothing scientific about it. It can be called circumstance. A Christian might call it God’s Favor or blessing, a Buddhist might call it good Karma coming back to them, etc. Winning the genetic lottery is still all about the combination of proper circumstances.
The main point of this article though, is really to point out how many people are using it as an excuse.