A quote from a founding father on LUCK to kick off our St. Patrick’s Day quest!
What we love about this quote from Thomas Jefferson is that he’s not saying luck doesn’t exist (I mean, who would DARE contest that on today of all days!) – but what he IS saying is that the harder we work, the more luck we may find!
According to Webster’s dictionary, luck is defined as: success or failure, apparently brought through chance other than one’s own actions. AKA: Random things (good or bad) that happen to you, which you have zero control over. So…what happens in our lives that we don’t have direct control over?
ALL KINDS of stuff! I mean there are billions of other people on the planet – you were brought into this world by parents – raised by people – were a kid for 18 years (maybe a bit more or less for some of us) – but the point is – there has been A LOT that has happened around you that you didn’t have any part of!
So LUCK = definitely a thing. BUT – luck gets SUCH a bad rep sometimes! Let’s think about this for a sec: (and PSA: You may have heard us say this once or twice before but…) When someone works hard consistently, their CONSISTENCY COMPOUNDS! And, this compounding effect – when it goes over that tipping point – LOOKS pretty dang lucky. And, there definitely can be luck involved with getting to that point – but, most often, when one’s consistency compounds – they have probably been consistently beating that drum for 5 or 6 YEARS before their hard work and luck compounded! Luck gets a bad rep when other people may see this and call it an overnight success or just dang LUCKY – when, in actuality, it was REALLY a build up of consistent energy and action compounding into those pot-o-gold-worthy results!
As ancient philosopher Seneca said, “luck is when opportunity meets preparation.” Meaning: it may be LUCKY when an opportunity comes along BUT if you’re not prepared for it and you’re not ready to strike when that iron is hot, it will chance you by! Therefore, luck may be random, but whether or not you are ready to capitalize on that luck and compound it – is completely in your hands.
SO – this St. Patrick’s Day 2020 – we invite you to rephrase your own narrative with luck and, instead of asking when luck will come to you, start asking instead: When that opportunity does strike, will YOU be ready for it?
P.S. STILL feeling unlucky? Check the luck you already have around you!…Your heart is beating, isn’t it?! Nothing that you did with your own action resulted in that and yet it still beats inside your chest 100,000 times a day…ISN’T THAT LUCKY?!
Be a lucky listener today and hear this podcast episode right here!