I think people have this luck thing all wrong. As if luck picks and choices who to do good for and who to do evil too. Quite frankly, I think luck is more often used as an excuse.
Luck is a variable I don’t pay much attention too. Although, if you made me answer the question: am I lucky? I would have to answer with yes.
I’m lucky I was born in this great country where I’m free to pursue what I wish, say what I wish, and go after things I want. I had no control over where I was born so one could argue that it was lucky that it was in the United States.
I was born in a solid family with parents who loved us and provided us with more than enough. I even had an older brother and sister to look after me and my younger brother.
We always had food on the table, clean clothes, and a warm bed. Things were all good. I had no control on the family I was born into so I suppose one could say that was also lucky.
I think a little luck spilled over into high school. I played football and was able to prevent any serious injuries. I would say that is a little luck but I also worked really hard, in the weight room and on the field. I stretched and tried to take care of myself as best I could.
But, it wasn’t lucky that I went on to play college football. College football was on my radar from a young boy. Watching my older brother play was a big motivator and I loved the game. You could say that having an older brother to model after was lucky; it allowed me to realize what it takes to make it to the next level.
Here, is where I start to think differently.
“It’s not that hard to figure out ‘what it takes.’
It’s hard to actually do what it takes.
That’s the big difference.”
I worked my ass off to get to the next level and once I got there I worked even harder to become better and better. Even with all my hard work, I still had a mediocre college career, by my standards anyway.
Yeah, I set a few records but for the most part my performance didn’t match all the work I put into it. It was incredibly frustrating. Maybe it was just bad luck? I don’t know.
Ahhh… so there’s different forms of luck, aye?
I believe this is where the argument of luck falls apart. There are many forms of luck. You have good luck, bad luck, dumb luck, beginners luck, etc.
How do you know which one will show up?
Luck seems like a variable that you can’t control nor depend on.
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Once we reach a certain age, sometime after high school, our bringing up plays a smaller role. Yes, we can still be effected by the happenings of our youth but once we start reaching maturity (some sooner than others) we have full control over our actions. We can choose how we want to let our past effect us.
But, don’t take it from me… like I said, I had a great upbringing and don’t believe I’m qualified to tell you to get your shit together not knowing what you’ve gone through or having experience anything similar.
I encourage you to listen to this podcast with David Goggins on Joe Rogan’s Podcast. David had a very rough upbringing and managed to use it all to fuel his fire and complete some unbelievable tasks. This is a MUST listen to!
I firmly believe that people can become whoever they want to become. David Goggins’ story is one that should prove to you that no matter where you start, you can end up where you want to be.
There’s no shortage of hard work and remember, the higher the goal, the higher the price tag. But, it is possible. You need to believe that and accept that. You also need to accept that if you’re not willing to pay the price to achieve your dreams, that’s on you!
No blaming luck. No blaming your bad childhood. No blaming politics. No excuses.
It’s on you!
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Millionaires rarely become that way by luck. I’m sure that there’s a few people out there who have won the lottery or something that made them a lot of money just by luck.
But, you don’t hear about these people going on to become millionaires or starting companies that make awesome products. No, those people piss the money away almost as fast as they got it.
I think successful people do catch a few breaks here and there but it’s only after several bad breaks that don’t go their way. Those bad breaks sharpen their resiliency, improve their focus, and further the development of a relentless mindset.
Luck is a variable I don’t pay much attention to. I can’t control it nor predict it and not to mention I’ve got a lot of other more important stuff to focus on. I do know one thing, if I don’t focus on what’s necessary all the good luck in the world isn’t going to get me where I want to be.
So, the next time luck enters a conversation ask yourself whether or not that the topic being discussed is actually based on uncontrollable circumstances or if it’s an excuse one is using to alleviate them from doing a task that’s necessary in order to achieve a desired outcome.
