Archive: On Luck

Do you have inspired dreams and big plans to turn those dreams into reality? Are you committed and passionate? Do you have an amazing support system?

Yeah, me too.

As such, we have all we need to create our own luck.

I’m Irish and all, (Isn’t everyone this time of year?) but I don’t believe in leprechauns, and I don’t believe in luck. I think calling something lucky minimizes whatever it took to make it happen. Admittedly, I am a despite-the-odds-optimist and a person of faith, but I believe we make our own luck through a combination of vision, passion, opportunity and commitment. If you’re feeling down on your luck, consider the following.

Vision.

We need a dream. We need a clear picture of what we want and what we don’t want to be, to have, to experience. Do we want to be joyful? Loving? Sober? Forgiving? Adventurous? Do we want to have a degree from a certain school? A particular car? A particular stamp in our passports?

We need a sharp mental image of what kind of relationship we want to have, what kind of job we want, the kind of family life we want to have. Do we want to be with someone who is honest? Is it important that he or she is funny? …of a certain belief system? Do they need to be able to cook? …have a sense of direction?

Do we want to work from home? Be able to commute via public transportation? Have growth opportunities? A structured mentoring program?

Do we want our families to be close emotionally? Geographically? Have certain traditions? Do certain things together?

We don’t need to know how to achieve it right away. Not all of the details need to be in focus; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “You don’t need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” We just need to be able to see it clearly enough in our mind’s eye that we can start lining up goals and taking action steps toward making this dream a reality.

Passion.

This vision is going to have us feeling a certain way.

A vision of what life would be like if we don’t make a certain change may have us feeling fearful. But, if we switch it up, and envision what life would be like if we made that change, we may find ourselves feeling energized, hopeful or enthusiastic. This energy churning up inside us is our passion. It’s what makes our hearts feel full, and it’s going to be what propels us on your way as we take our risks and action steps.

Passion also arouses and intrigues the people around us. Passion draws people to us and together; it’s where our charisma comes from. When people look at us, they will think things like, “He’s really going somewhere!” and, “I absolutely want to be part of what she is doing!” People can always tell a phoned in, fake enthusiasm or sales pitch from genuine passion. The former is repellent, the latter invites people to share in the story or journey, the struggle or transformation, and the celebration.

Opportunity.

The reality is that no one is an island. We need support to accomplish just about every goal in our lives. One form of support is opportunity. Just as we’re getting all charged up about our vision and sharing it with people around us, they will rally for us and show us opportunities to grow that vision.

Maybe, after years of speed dating, online dating and other social networking, someone introduces us to a person who matches all of the criteria on our “dream date” list. Maybe someone writes us a check to help us overcome a financial obstacle. Maybe someone takes the time to mentor us or give us feedback when we didn’t know what was holding us back. Maybe someone just happens to be looking for someone “Just. Like. YOU.”

Whatever form it takes, we can only pounce on an opportunity when we know where we want to go and are passionate about getting there and we’re prepared to take full advantage of every opportunity in our path.

Commitment.

Opportunities are sweet, but what about the times when we have a clear vision of what we want, we’re all fired up about getting there, we’re doing all we can, and we just can’t seem to get any traction?

It happens to all of us.

We’re taking risks, asking for support, pounding the pavement, making cold calls, going on dates, attending repeated therapy sessions, following the plan to the decimal point and we feel like we’re just not getting any closer to seeing that dream realized.

We need a personal reservoir of commitment. We need to dig in. Hang on. Buckle up.

Whatever you do, don’t you dare quit.

Thomas Edison said that “Many of life’s failures are people who didn’t know how close they were to success when they gave up.” Don’t let that be you. Remember the adage about fall down seven, stand up eight? Be that person. …the one who got up, course corrected, tried again.

Cry, stomp your feet, smash something if you need to, but stay the course. Ask for support one more time. Try one new way. Send one more resume or application. Go on one more date. Initiate that conversation one more time.

Just keep fanning the flames of your vision, and though it may burn down to embers, it will keep burning. And, when that sucker catches, and we’re lighting up the sky and sending sparks to the moon… we can take pride in what we’ve created, all that it took to get there, and celebrate all of it with the people around us.

Irish or not, that’s no Blarney.

Originally published by Pathways To Successful Living Seminars, March 16, 2013