Tag Archives: Luck

Stronger Than the Storm

14 Feb

Everyone wants an easy life where everything goes as planned and we’re never unhappy.  It would be great if we could order our days ahead of time to ensure we get exactly what we want. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and even when we try hard to plan carefully and watch our step moving forward, sometimes things just go wrong. None of us lives on a deserted island and there will always be people coming in and out of our lives. They may inadvertently make decisions that affect us negatively, or they may purposely stand in our way. We might have no idea why our plans went up in smoke and everything fell apart, and while we’re in the midst of trying to figure out what to do next, we may feel lost and uncertain. We can’t control the weather. What comes comes, and even the most proficient and wise meteorologist has no control of what will happen. Storms will appear – sometimes intensely and unexpectedly. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, we’ll have to navigate through. Weather is one thing, but we may experience difficult storms in our personal life. Something may change without notice, we may lose something we treasure, or someone we love may leave us. We may lose our jobs or a million other possibilities that upset our lives and turn everything upside down. At the beginning we may feel frozen in place as we try to understand what’s happened, and we may have no idea how to proceed. But we are stronger and wiser than we imagine, and no matter what comes, we have everything we need to find our way forward. Trouble will come. There is no one perfect way to handle it. The answers we need will be there and when we’re ready, we can step forward, confident, and sure of success.

Sometimes it seems that everything we touch falls apart. It’s as though the planets have aligned against us and nothing will ever work out. When we’re struggling and there’s a lot going wrong, we may believe we will never be successful. We may as well just sit down and give up. Of course, we can do anything we like and if we want to surrender, we certainly can. But giving in and giving up will never take us where we most want to go.  All our dreams are there for us and nothing is strong enough to hold us in place forever. We can take the time we need to decide how we want to proceed, and then begin again.

There is no such thing as bad luck.  Luck is simply when preparedness and opportunity meet. We may get prepared to do something, but the opportunity to start isn’t available at this time. That’s not bad luck and it doesn’t mean we can’t succeed.  It only means the goal is unavailable right now. Nothing is permanent and when our situation changes we can start again. We know who we and what we want, and we already possess everything we need to reach any goal we desire. By trusting ourselves, and standing firm, there isn’t anything we can’t accomplish.

Today if a storm is raging and everything is upside down, take the time you need to look at the situation objectively. You are smarter than you think you are, and you will find your way. The whole world is there for you and nothing can keep you from success. Stand strong and look ahead. Every goal is possible, and you can make them yours.

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What’s luck got to do with it?

20 Apr

A previous boss I had was always giving me big projects to work on. They were in essence HIS projects, but he preferred delegating them to me instead of doing them himself. My office was right next to his and when his boss would come to see him, and I overheard him getting a new assignment, I knew that shortly thereafter that assignment was going to be mine. Since it was my boss directing me to complete the project, whatever it was, there was no way to decline. When he invariably called me into his office to assign me something new, I would sit and listen carefully, take the necessary notes, and then tell him, “I’ll take care of it.” As I would rise to leave, he would almost always say, “Good luck,” at which time I would respond, “Luck is not a factor.”

What is luck? For many of us it’s something we hope for despite the fact that it isn’t real. There is no magical way for things to work out, there is no mythical realm that will intercede. This is not a fairy tale. This is real life. The true definition of luck is when opportunity and preparedness meet. Again – The true definition of luck is when opportunity and preparedness meet. If we are prepared and an opportunity presents itself, we may take full advantage of the situation and find success. Some will say we were lucky, and in essence, given the true definition of luck, we were, but not like they think. We were ready. We were prepared for the opportunity when it arrived and so were successful. When I worked on the endless projects assigned to me by my boss, I prepared, I planned, I got ready, and when the time came to present my final product, everything often went well. I wasn’t lucky in some magical way. I was lucky because I prepared and was ready to succeed.

There are times in our lives when we want very much for something to change. We want very much for something to happen. We might think, “I wish I were lucky enough to get that.” But wishing for a lucky break is a waste of time. If you want to really be lucky, make a plan to get the thing you are wishing for, and prepare a way to accomplish your plan. Move forward step by step and in time, you will get what you want. There are few things in life we can’t achieve if we want them badly enough. True luck is when you put your mind to work, put your plan into action, and persevere until you succeed.

Very successful people generally aren’t just ‘lucky.’ Generally they have worked very hard to achieve their goals. It’s easy to see them at the end of the journey with their success shining all over them, and envy them, neglecting to see all the sweat, tears, disappointments, changes in course, and adjustments they most certainly went through to get where they are. They wanted the success enough to make it happen. Does that make them lucky?   If you believe that luck is when opportunity and preparedness meet – then yes, they are lucky.

Today, think about what you have been wishing for. Don’t wait for fairy dust, or a magical spell to bring it to you. Make a plan, start working it, and go after it. Make your own luck by preparing for what you want so when it arrives you are ready to grab it. It’s waiting for you. It has your name on it. Go get it!

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