Luck is self-created
Most of us — including me — were taught to believe in luck. We believe that certain people have achieved certain successes or have experienced “good fortune” at least partially because of luck. Of course, we acknowledge that hard work and perseverance were involved to some extent, but we believe that “luck” is the critical factor in most people’s successes.
How many times have you heard someone say something to the effect of, “If you want to accomplish X, you’ll need more than hard work and credentials. You’ll also need to a lot of luck. It’s a hard business to break into (or succeed in, or rise to the top of, etc.).”
We nod our heads, subconsciously slipping into the trap of allowing ourselves the excuse of lack of luck whenever we fail to achieve something that we want . . . but which we secretly believed was out of our range anyway. It’s like when you approach that gorgeous person hopefully … and just know that she or he won’t be interested because s/he will look at you and decide you aren’t quite up to par.
That kind of thinking is poison … and it will manifest for you everything that you didn’t want to manifest!
Here’s the lesson: luck is self-created.
As Thomas Jefferson said:
I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
“Lucky” people put themselves in the right place at the right time, they contact the people that they need to meet to get ahead or stay connected, they work hard and consistently to make sure that when an opportunity arises, their name and reputation are known — and they are ready to meet the challenge.
You can practice creating luck on a daily basis. Your opportunity may be just around the corner — but you have to prepare for it. Think of all the ways that you can create luck in your own life.
Perhaps that means sending out resumes on a daily basis. Perhaps it means calling five more contacts per day, being friendly to everyone that you meet, starting to write a business plan, writing that magazine article or query, or sending out a press release. Perhaps it means stretching your comfort zone just a little bit more every day.
Bottom line: The creation of luck entails different things for different people. Figure out what it entails for you, and practice the creation of luck every day.
Expect to be lucky, prepare to be lucky, act like you are lucky, and you will create your own luck.
Become a Warrior
Every book by a self-reliant, defiant, and successful person that I have read has taught me several life lessons that you can ignore only at your peril.
1. Dump the act of acting small.
It simply belittles you and your life, and it does the world no favors.
You are much more valuable to the world once you begin acting like the strong soul that you know you are.
2. Put yourself in a position where you stand out.
If you are highly intelligent and well-educated, it makes little sense to go into a profession in which everyone is just as smart as you. Look, if you really, really want to be a doctor or a lawyer, great … the world needs more people who love what they do. Otherwise, strike out on your own in a field in which your smarts and know-how are rare. You don’t want to find yourself fighting over the juiciest meat among a pack of the best lions, do you?
3. Forget everything they told you when you were a child.
Most of us were taught to get a great education and then get the best job possible. What a scam. For people who are talented, being an employee is really a high-risk endeavor. Employ yourself whenever possible.
Quote by Buckminster Fuller
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something build a new model that
makes the existing model obsolete.”
Buckminster Fuller
The Abundant Life 