Luck - Preparation Meets Opportunity

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it.
-- Thomas Jefferson

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Why is it that some people seem luckier than others? Why do some people always seem to be in the right spot at the right time? Do you believe in Luck? Webster’s Dictionary defines luck as “An event, good or ill, regarded as occurring by chance or fate.” It is true; some people seem to have their fair share of good fortune, while others seem to attract ill fortune.

So, if you believe in luck, you have to take the good with the bad – both good luck and bad luck. What causes a person to be lucky or unlucky? Luck, good or bad, will be determined by preparation and opportunity. Preparation is the antecedent. Opportunity is about timing. So, luck is really about preparation, good or ill, meeting opportunity.

Preparation is about doing the work. It is about rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty. Preparation is a willingness to do the work, being disciplined, and acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills. If you have prepared properly, when an opportunity presents itself, you will have put yourself in a good position to experience good fortune. Some might attribute your good fortune to luck. They are quick to say, “he/she is always lucky.” These people do not understand luck. These people fail to recognize and/or appreciate the preparation that preceded your good fortune. They fail to see the sweat and toil you endured; the discipline and perseverance you underwent; and the time and sacrifice you put forth.

Conversely, when an opportunity presents itself and you are ill-prepared, the opportunity seems to quickly vanish. Opportunities come and go quickly. Hence, you must be prepared. If not, you are going to “miss the boat” and the boat is not likely to come around your way again. Understand, you will not be in a position to tell the boat to wait while you go get prepared. Those that miss the boat fail to see the importance of preparation and prefer to blame it on “another case of bad luck.”

Opportunity is about timing. The timing has to be right and everything has to line up accordingly. Opportunity is manifested in two ways: self created and random. A self-created opportunity is about doing the right things (preparation) so that over time you create the opportunity. You position yourself so that when the work is done the opportunity presents itself. Is the young executive that quickly ascends the corporate ladder lucky, or has he/she done the work. Chances are they have done the work! The young executive was willing to do the work while his/her colleagues were sleeping (figuratively).

A random opportunity is simply about being in the right spot at the right time. Winning the lottery is about being in the right spot at the right time – a random opportunity. It is about purchasing a ticket at the right store at the right time. Even though the purchase of the winning ticket is considered to be random event, one cannot overlook the importance of doing the work to be in the right spot at the right time. You have to be willing to go to a vendor to purchase a ticket. And, you have to be willing to part with your money, knowing the odds are not in your favor (between 16 million to 1 and 120 million to 1, depending upon the game you play). The point is simple; if you are not willing to do the work (do what it takes to play the game), you cannot create an opportunity to win.

There you have it! Luck is about preparation meeting opportunity. It is about work and timing. You may not be able to control timing, but you certainly can control doing the work. Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds, says it best, “Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat the luckier you get.” Today is the day to start creating your own good luck; expect good things to happen, do the work, and in due time the opportunity will present itself!

“Good luck creating good luck,” or should I say, “Good luck with your preparation meeting opportunity,”

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It's your life: live it, love it, celebrate it!
MJD