Are you lucky?!
Ever hear the saying, “some people have all the luck”? Ever wonder yourself? How does one get lucky and have good fortune? Personally, I think we create our own luck by the daily decisions we make and if we consistently live life by governing principles, good luck will be ours! Some call it karma. I tend to agree. Decide for yourself, but let’s check out some stories and see what we can learn.
The little girl
There was a child born into a family of drug users that frequently made bad choices. She was the youngest, commonly mistreated, and moved from town to town and school to school. Sounds pretty unlucky right? But circumstances do not have to define one’s luck, because her difficult childhood experience lit a fire of desire in this girl’s heart. She decided to become something different. She chose to take good care of her health with nutrition, exercise and avoiding substance use. She chose to pursue a good education and surround herself with positive and productive people. With much hard work and dedication, she became the 2nd high school graduate in her family and the first to obtain her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She worked multiple jobs to put herself through school and entered the work force with impressive experience and personal expertise. Was this young woman lucky or did she create her own luck?
The abandoned woman
A woman moved far away with her husband and two children. Her spouse was disloyal and secretly having an affair, which he revealed after relocation. She was devastated and alone in her new town. Unlucky? I’d think so. But this woman had the heart of a lion. She straightened her fallen crown and demonstrated her strength through choices. Divorced but not defined by it, she proceeded to work a full time job to support her family and at the same time build a very successful side business of her own. Day after day (and nights too) she pursued her goal of becoming a strong, independent woman who would not only take care of her own family, but one that would inspire and empower hundreds of other women to take charge of their destiny as well. Luck? I’d say more like grit, determination, strength and dedication.
The ego trick
There once was a man; a man that had to work hard for everything he had. He cared about people and success. He worked hard, very hard. He stood out from the crowd. He began to find success. He read from respectable thought leaders and followed the principles of effectiveness. As he grew in success, he became incredibly busy and slowly began to let go of the principles that had once been his guide post. His ego grew alongside his success. As time passed, the foundational principles became talked about ideals, but no longer applied in practice. The rules applied to everyone but himself. The fast pace left many trampled and in turn created many more crises. What was founded in strong governing principles was now un-spiraling faster than could be managed. Is this bad luck?
Here are my takeaways. Circumstances do not define us or our outcomes. Choices do. Bad times and things happen. Dust yourself off and look for good. Tough experiences often help us develop strength of character. That strength can help us persevere through many challenges. Ego and success can easily derail a well-intentioned person. Beware! We must continually review our mission, values and governing principles and question the foundation of all of our decisions. Bad luck can turn good and vice versa. Luck is not permanent. Choices do have consequences. In closing, choose well friends and I wish you good luck!
