Luck

It’s an extremely misunderstood concept. For example, you’ve probably heard about the “luck of the Irish”. Most people believe that means they are lucky. I mean, they’ve got all those four-leaf clovers and leprechauns so they must be lucky. In reality, it’s an ironic comment on how bad the Irish had it when they came to this country. In other words, they weren’t that lucky. Most of them had a pretty miserable existence at the time.

You may have heard that “it’s better to be lucky than good”. Maybe once in a while. But over the long haul I’ll take good over luck. One of my all-time favorites is the “if I didn’t have bad luck I wouldn’t have any luck at all.” I use the word “favorite” sarcastically. If you’re around someone who says that a lot and believes it then start hanging with other people. That’s someone who likes to feel sorry for themselves. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.

Luck is funny in that it depends on your perspective. What seems like luck to some people may in actuality be a lot of hard work and sacrifice. If you do a search for quotes about luck you’ll find dozens of them from successful people who have a skeptical view of luck. Movie stars, athletes, authors, etc. Most of what they have to say about luck is a variation of “the harder I work the luckier I get.” What they mean is that luck can certainly play a part in success, but it’s no substitute for discipline, effort and sweat.

Luck is fine. But you can’t bank on it. Lady Luck is fickle and there is no telling who she will decide to lavish her affections on. Waiting around for her to decide if you’ll be her dance partner is wasted time. Best to get to work and, as Ernest Hemingway said, make your own luck. You do that by showing up every day and applying yourself at what it is that you want to do. If you’re building a business that means long hours. Improving your baseball swing involves taking rep after rep. If you want to be a better writer start a blog and write to your kids about things you want them to know. I know a guy who does that. He’s pretty cool.

I promise you that if you work at something you will get better at it. Maybe not as good as you want to be. That baseball swing might not get you to the majors but it might get you a varsity spot or state title. Generally, your results are directly proportional to your effort. When you fall short of where you want to be you have to honestly ask yourself if it’s lack of ability or industry. It’s my belief that it’s usually the latter. That can be a hard pill to swallow, realizing you fell short not because of bad luck but because you didn’t do the work.

I will also promise you that when you do succeed at what you work for someone else will dismiss that work as you just being lucky. That might bother you. Okay, it will bother you. There is no shortage of excuses other people will make for not achieving the same level that you have. They are struggling with why they didn’t do as well when of course they were just as good, if not better, than you. It has to be your good luck. It can’t be their lack of preparation. You have to let that noise go. Let them whine about it. Take your chips and go home, satisfied with your winnings. Oh, and remember to buy your dad something nice.

Sometimes you do get a break. You can get lucky. The card you need hits on the River and you win the pot. There’s no denying that. You can be born with advantages and waste them. You can be connected and squander those relationships. Maybe you start with more money. That’s no guarantee you’ll use it well or even keep it. Luck doesn’t hold up repeatedly over time. It fails. The Lady finds other dance partners. Luck is a thing to be respected and appreciated. It should only be relied on when there is nothing else left. Enjoy good luck while it lasts. Just don’t count on it. Do the work and you’ll be happier with the results. There is no amount of luck that beats hard work in the marathon of life. So lace those shoes up and get running.