"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Seneca
It's only fitting that on St. Patrick's Day the topic is luck!
Maewyn (St. Patrick) was held captive by Irish marauders at the age of 16. He spent six years as a servant to his captors. It was during those years that Maewyn became enlightened and developed his passion for Christianity. Maewyn eventually escaped from the marauders and entered the monastery. It was in the monastery that Maewyn took the name Patrick and pledged to devote his life spreading the good news of Christianity throughout Ireland. Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock (clover leaf) to explain the doctrine of the trinity (the three leaves, although viewed as separate, are one, just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one.)
From a historical perspective, one might conclude that St. Patrick was lucky. In his youth, luck was in his favor as he was able to escape from the Irish marauders. As an adult, luck found his way as he spent much of his life avoiding arrest by the Druids, a group of priests, judges and teachers, who objected to his ministry.
Was luck on St. Patrick’s side or did St. Patrick create his own luck? Do you consider yourself to be lucky, or does luck just seem to always be the fortune of others? Luck doesn’t just happen! Luck occurs when four things are present. First, one must have the right mindset. Second, one must be prepared for an opportunity to present itself. Third, the timing must be right. Lastly, one must take action when the opportunity occurs.
Since one never knows when an opportunity might present itself, possessing the right mindset is a must. It has been said that, “If you believe that life just happens to you, then the best you can hope for is lots of luck and a good disaster plan.” Just like luck, life doesn’t just happen to you either. It’s your attitude that determines what happens to you. People with a positive attitude experience positive results. Whereas, possessing a negative attitude will produce negative results. Sure, there are unfortunate events that will occur in everybody’s life, but it’s your response to those events that count, not the event itself. In order for an opportunity to present itself, you have to be in a state of awareness. Since people with a negative mindset fail to believe in possibilities, they become blind when an opportunity presents itself.
Since one never knows when an opportunity will present itself, one must also be prepared. So, how does one prepare for an opportunity? You prepare for an opportunity by going to work on yourself; by improving your skills, expanding your network, and acquiring knowledge. Louis Pasteur once said, “Fortune favors the prepared mind.” You’ve heard the cliché, “Timing is everything.” But, in order for timing to be everything, there is an element of preparation that must be considered. We often will hear people talk about others whom they perceive to be “just one of those lucky people.” What they fail to talk about is the hard work and discipline that preceded the so-called lucky event. Thomas Jefferson described the importance of hard work as it relates to luck when he said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”
There are those rare instances, like winning a lottery, that are pure happenstance. But in most cases, opportunities are self-created. A series of events have been performed or not performed, consciously or unconsciously, that set the stage for an opportunity to present itself. The person with the right mindset knows that opportunities come and go. They prepare for the opportunity and engage in some type of action to make the most of the opportunity.
So here is my Four Leaf Clover Theory concerning luck: luck is a combination of the right attitude, the right preparation, the right timing, and taking the right action.
Wishing you the best of luck!
It's your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!From a historical perspective, one might conclude that St. Patrick was lucky. In his youth, luck was in his favor as he was able to escape from the Irish marauders. As an adult, luck found his way as he spent much of his life avoiding arrest by the Druids, a group of priests, judges and teachers, who objected to his ministry.
Was luck on St. Patrick’s side or did St. Patrick create his own luck? Do you consider yourself to be lucky, or does luck just seem to always be the fortune of others? Luck doesn’t just happen! Luck occurs when four things are present. First, one must have the right mindset. Second, one must be prepared for an opportunity to present itself. Third, the timing must be right. Lastly, one must take action when the opportunity occurs.
Since one never knows when an opportunity might present itself, possessing the right mindset is a must. It has been said that, “If you believe that life just happens to you, then the best you can hope for is lots of luck and a good disaster plan.” Just like luck, life doesn’t just happen to you either. It’s your attitude that determines what happens to you. People with a positive attitude experience positive results. Whereas, possessing a negative attitude will produce negative results. Sure, there are unfortunate events that will occur in everybody’s life, but it’s your response to those events that count, not the event itself. In order for an opportunity to present itself, you have to be in a state of awareness. Since people with a negative mindset fail to believe in possibilities, they become blind when an opportunity presents itself.
Since one never knows when an opportunity will present itself, one must also be prepared. So, how does one prepare for an opportunity? You prepare for an opportunity by going to work on yourself; by improving your skills, expanding your network, and acquiring knowledge. Louis Pasteur once said, “Fortune favors the prepared mind.” You’ve heard the cliché, “Timing is everything.” But, in order for timing to be everything, there is an element of preparation that must be considered. We often will hear people talk about others whom they perceive to be “just one of those lucky people.” What they fail to talk about is the hard work and discipline that preceded the so-called lucky event. Thomas Jefferson described the importance of hard work as it relates to luck when he said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”
There are those rare instances, like winning a lottery, that are pure happenstance. But in most cases, opportunities are self-created. A series of events have been performed or not performed, consciously or unconsciously, that set the stage for an opportunity to present itself. The person with the right mindset knows that opportunities come and go. They prepare for the opportunity and engage in some type of action to make the most of the opportunity.
So here is my Four Leaf Clover Theory concerning luck: luck is a combination of the right attitude, the right preparation, the right timing, and taking the right action.
Wishing you the best of luck!
MJD
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