Luck is a tricky thing and something I think we are quick to attribute some of our successes to it when actually they came about from our hard work and dedication. Certainly there is luck – random good things that come our way for no reason, but more often than not, I think our successes have more to do with us than they do luck.
Earned Success
I think that many of us spend days, months, and even years positioning ourselves for success. University is a great example of that. By getting our degrees we are positioning ourselves to get find success with great job opportunities. And great job opportunities build our experience and skills and lead to even greater job opportunities.
Positioning ourselves for success doesn’t have to be long-term though. Sometimes it simply comes down to making sure we are in the right place at the right time. Some may say this is luck but we choose to be where we are because we identified that an opportunity for success may present itself. Other times, it may be about getting a good grade because you studied hard for a test. Or receiving accolades on a presentation from a professor because you practiced extensively for it. These are not “lucky moments” but the product of positioning ourselves for these successes.
Luck
Luck surely has its place in our lives too though. There are times where we happen to guess the right number of jelly beans in a jar and win a prize. Unless you are a mathematical genius, this is likely the product of luck.
The problem with luck is that too often and quickly we attribute our success to luck. We are quick to discard the hard work we put into something and allocate the success to luck. Why is this? Is it a confidence thing? Is it because maybe the task seemed too easy or the “win” too big for the effort we put into the task?
Right-Sizing Our Successes
If anything, I think that we need to right-size our successes a bit more. While luck does play a factor in some of our “wins,” our hard work is so often the real contributing factor to our success. Lets not shy away from that. Rather let’s take joy and celebrate in the moment. And learn from the success story so that we can create many more.
All that said, luck is still a great thing when it happens to us so let’s also not discard it too quickly. If it happens, let’s relish it for all it’s worth too. For it too has its great moments!
What is your Experience with Luck?
How does it play into your view of your successes? Do you feel you fairly allocate your successes to your hard work? Or do you tend to side on the favor of luck or your efforts?
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