Luck! When Preparation Meets Opportunity
I don’t know about you guys but I think, generally speaking, the concept of luck is a total cop-out. Luck is just a stage name for energy.
For most of my life, people have told me that I was lucky. Whether it was because I grew up in Manhattan or because I was getting married, because I was pregnant and moving to the suburbs or because my real-estate business took off, others have always chalked up my successes to luck. No one had any idea how much work, pain, sweat, tears and challenges I had to get through in order to achieve each of the accomplishments that they ascribed to simple luck.
And of course, the funny thing was I didn’t feel lucky all. In fact, for a long time, I felt extremely unlucky because I had experienced such profound trauma and fear in my early life. It wasn’t until I got on the other side of that adversity and success, after working on myself for years, that I was able to realize none of the good or bad was about luck. It was really all about the energy I was putting out in the world, and the energy I was attracting back to me.
PICK YOUR VIBE
Energy is a funny thing. You can’t see it, but it’s everywhere. You can’t touch it, but you can feel it. And when it comes to success in any area of your life, it plays a pivotal role. The truth is energy is a feeling, a vibe, a frequency. And once you tune in to it, you can never tune it out.
This is an amazing gift. For example, if you go into an interview with the wrong mindset, that creates a certain kind of energy. It’s the kind that sabotages your chances of getting the job, because you come across as unworthy or less qualified than other candidates. (After all, how can anyone else believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself?)
We create energy all day, every day whether or not we realize it. We create it with our thoughts and our responses to people, our environment and ourselves.
ENERGY WORK
If you tell any successful entrepreneur or business person that they are lucky, they will fire back with some version of, “This is not luck. What you see as luck is really mindset, hard work, discipline, perseverance and taking risks. It’s pretty much anything but luck!” And of course, mindset, hard work, discipline, perseverance and taking risks are all just different forms of energy.
People also often emphasize the importance of being at the right place at the right time. I get that. We’ve all read success stories that seemed to hinge on perfect timing. But ultimately, I have a different perspective on that. I think it’s more about seeing the opportunities and being aware enough to take advantage of them once you see them. It’s about being consistent and focused in your efforts, recognizing worthwhile risks and opportunities—and jumping on them when they appear.
Take the lottery as an example. Oftentimes the person who wins the lottery is the person who’s been playing the same numbers every day for years and has the faith and mindset that one day they are going to win. THAT is energy. They are consistent with their routine and mindset as it relates to the lottery.
Of course, not everyone fits that profile. But for those special people who decide to randomly play the lottery and win, well, that could just be some good karma, which is also energy. It’s not the same energy as those people who are single-minded in pursuing a goal. It’s not the same energy as those who are consistent in their actions. But it is the kind of energy where, by putting good into the world, you get it back.
PLAYING MAKING THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE
When all is said and done, abandoning the concept of luck is actually good news for your life. Instead of relying on random chance, you can make your own luck. Examine your situation. What do you want from life? Where do you want to go? Start focusing your energy in that direction. Create your own good fortune by taking calculated risks and doing the hard work. Above all, be consistent! Fight for it every day, and don’t give up. Equally important is to be a decent person. When you do good for others and the world and get yourself on the good side of karma, it will come back to you exponentially!