Lucky!

I have heard people say repeatedly over the years that my husband and his brothers are “lucky”. I used to think, “yeah, they are lucky.”

But early in our marriage (we have been married almost 30 years), I realized that none of these young (at the time we were all still young) men were lucky. Not once did they win a contest at just the last moment to save their proverbial bacon. They did all start at the bottom and work their way up to the panicle of their respective careers. I can’t say they started with nothing because they come from a wonderful family and their parents clearly taught them invaluable lessons on how to win in life!

No, I wouldn’t call them lucky, these men all worked hard to be ready for those opportunities that came their way. What other people took for luck, I realized was being prepared. They did the ground work necessary to make it possible for them to jump into each opportunity that came their way.

I was reading an article in the Wall Street Journal this morning (Make Your Own Luck) that made me think of all my husband and brothers-in-law have accomplished over the years. Janice Kaplan and Barnaby Marsh point out in their article that “Luck is a combination of random chance, talent and hard work—and we can control some of that equation.” I would say that doing your homework is the best way to be prepared when random chance brings you into contact with a perfect opportunity.

The authors also mention the need to pay attention to broad trends, being persistent, and being optimistic. The article comes from a book they just published called How Luck Happens: Using the Science of Luck to Transform Work, Love, and Life”. Maybe I’ll pick it up. It sounds like a useful book. Then again, maybe I’ll just keep trying to pay attention to the lessons great people in my life are teaching me every day.

Have a wonderful day and I wish you good luck and hope you are ready for it when it comes your way!