That subject line is a quote from pro golfer Jerry Barber.
One of my favorite quotes, in fact.
Another quote on luck that I like (usually attributed to Roman philosopher Seneca) is…
“Luck is what happens when preparedness meets opportunity”
I first heard this while listening to old-school self-help teacher Earl Nightingale.
The saying is a re-framing of what we might often think of as “luck”.
Often luck is seen as something mysterious. Floating around out there. And it’s just a bit random whether it shows up for us. Or not.
People will often complain that some person or other is luckier than them.
They’ll say that’s why someone else is rich, famous, have a devoted spouse. Or numerous other things that the green-eyed monster likes to bring up.
But reality, more often than not, is a rags to riches story.
Rarely was it a single moment in time that dumped money, fame or whatever else into someone’s lap.
Kevin Davis, founder of a New York City nonprofit, has this take:
“You need to put yourself in a position to have luck.”
So this is the reason why I decided to give up.
That is…
Give up on finger-pointing. Give up on making excuses. Give up on self-pity.
Some days are still hard.
But I’m enjoying preparing for “luck” to strike.
This preparation involves upskilling.
I started with copywriting a while back. Then immersed myself in email marketing. Now my focus is on networking with other business owners through collaborations.
The idea being, when my “lucky” moments arrive, I can be prepared to take action quickly.
I find this happening when I’m taking time to see where people may need a hand.
And doing simple things. Like flicking them an email if I notice something isn’t working quite right on their website.
Or giving some pointers in groups I belong to, when it’s something I have experience with.
I might not be the one to ultimately fix the problem. But stronger connections, and being someone helpful in the minds of others, can go a long way.
And open surprising doors.
At the heart of it is relationships. Along with just being there and willing to serve others at those “lucky” times.
That includes investing in the relationships we build with other people through our email list.
Also being aware of points where those relationships can strain and break.
And break they can if we don’t take a strategic, service-first approach to them.