Category Archives: luck

Luck is unevenly distributed, unpredictable, and unfair

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“Luck is unevenly distributed, unpredictable, and unfair. If it weren’t, it wouldn’t be luck.”
—Seth Godin, American author, marketing expert, entrepreneur

Image from Unsplash by Amy Reed

Luck has never promised to play fair.

It sweeps in unevenly — granting one person a break while another stumbles despite equal or greater effort.

That’s the maddening beauty of it: Luck refuses to be predictable, earned, or controlled. If it followed rules, it wouldn’t be luck — it would be math, merit, or some reliable formula.

Instead, luck lives in the gaps between preparation and randomness. The danger is believing it owes us balance, when in truth it never has.

The opportunity lies in what we can control — our mindset, persistence, and readiness to seize luck when it lands.

We can’t script chance, but we can sharpen ourselves into people who make the most of it!

EXERCISE:

Take a minute at the end of your day to write down one event or moment when luck — good or bad — touched your life. Consider how you responded, and reflect on what you learned.

“You can attract luck simply by sharing your work publicly.”

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“You can attract luck simply by sharing your work publicly.”

—James Clear, author, entrepreneur, and photographer

Image from Unsplash by Phil Hearing

Who are some of the luckiest people you know? What do they do for a living? How did you happen to learn about their work? Where and when did you observe a public appearance of their level of skill and mastery?

Where else do you see a correlation between perceived luck and the willingness of people to offer their work, art, music, and physical capabilities on a public stage?

How lucky have you been in your personal and professional communities? To what degree have you gotten up to bat and swung away, over and over, until some of your strike-outs became hits, and even a few home runs?

EXERCISE:

Where is it time to come out of the shadows to share your work publicly and increase your luck?

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

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“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

—Jessica Howell, American actress and producer

Image from Unsplash by Zdeněk Macháček

Consider the concepts of entropy and order.

The first is about how things pursue a random path of coming apart. The second pertains to things coming together in a more organized state.

Where have some of the good things in your life and our world fallen apart? How many of these issues are related to entropy, bad luck, or perhaps our lack of attention and effort to bring order to these matters?

Where are things beginning to fall together—not by chance, but by individuals and communities of shared vision and values choosing to create their own good once again?

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you play a bigger, more positive role in your world so that better things will fall together? Consider placing the following quote by Desmond Tutu somewhere you will see it often—and consider reading my post about it from a few years ago.

“Do your little bit of good whoever you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

“I wish you way more than luck.”

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“I wish you way more than luck.”

—David Foster Wallace, late American writer and university professor

Image from Unsplash by George Pagan III

Eliyahu Goldratt has a provocative quote about luck that has a bit more meat on the bone. It states: Good luck is when opportunity meets preparation, while bad luck is when lack of preparation meets reality.

Who hasn’t, from time to time, wished others good luck on some personal or professional objective?

Being nice, courteous, polite, and positive seems like a good thing to do but how much of a difference does it actually make?

Similarly, how much of an impact does liking or retweeting a social media post have?

EXERCISE:

What does wishing someone more than luck look like to you? How might it include supporting someone’s preparedness, or foster greater opportunities for those you wish to support?

Feel free to reply to this post to share your perspective.

good habits over good luck

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“I’ll take good habits over good luck.”

—Brendon Burchard, American Motivational Author

Image from bodyforwife.com

Image from bodyforwife.com

Samuel Goldwyn’s famous statement, “The harder I work the luckier I get,” points to our ability to create our own luck, or at least become more successful through our own committed efforts.

Examine your good habits, and those of people you admire, to see what positive and favorable outcomes result.

EXERCISE:

Rate your habits in the following areas on a scale of one to five, with one being poor and five being high. What efforts might be required on your part to be the one that people admire?

Relationship Management Health and Fitness Personal Development
Community Involvement Spiritual Growth Work Ethic
Avocations and Hobbies Financial Freedom Family

“Go and wake up your luck.”

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“Go and wake up your luck.”

-Persian Proverb

Image from popsugar.com

Image from popsugar.com

A few months ago there was a frenzy of activity around the lottery here in the States. The prize exceeded a billion dollars. The number of people in lines to purchase tickets was unprecedented, and many Canadians came across the border into Michigan to try their luck at buying the winning ticket.

Three lucky winners shared the prize. The statistical likelihood of winning is minute, and of course, you can’t win if you don’t play.

Today’s quote suggests that we can, however, create and cause our own luck in life, through our determination and consistent efforts. How much money could you save if you put even half of what you spend on lottery tickets, lattes, and other discretionary purchases into some form of investment account?

EXERCISE:

How and where can and will you wake up and expand your own luckiness today?