Photo by Malvestida Magazine on Unsplash
“You’re always so lucky!”
This was the exclamation from my son while we were playing an online game together last weekend. In this game, you clicked on the character to get a random superpower and I kept getting the epic ones, whereas he kept getting common. [Sidenote: this is clearly a first world problem.]
My son’s comment, tinged with a mix of envy and frustration, got me thinking about the concept of luck. What is luck, really? Luck is a word we hear used in a lot of everyday conversations. Often times when used it is done so with a view that luck is something that happens to some people but not others. Our world is filled with the lucky people, and the unlucky people. Luck is often seen to be outside of our control and something that happens to us regardless of our actions.
When my son exclaims how lucky he thinks I am because a random computer-generated outcome is always positive for me (and less so for him), he’s really attributing a perception of luck based on this chance outcome. His perception is that I am always getting a positive outcome, hence I’m so lucky. In reality, if we kept a record of what superpowers each of us received, we’d undoubtedly find they conformed to the level of chance programmed into the game.
It also ignores any actions that both of us took based on the initial outcomes of chance. So, when I received my first epic superpower, I kept it for a longer period of time. After all, it was epic! My son, on the other hand, had many more attempts at changing his superpower as he tried in vain to trade in his common one. This further strengthened his mindset that I was the lucky person. In reality it was more likely a case that I hadn’t had enough attempts to statistically balance out the probability of receiving more common ones than epic ones. On the flip side, with every attempt at a new superpower, the probability that my son would get an epic one increased. But with each failed attempt his desire to try again weakened and his mindset that he was just unlucky increased. A case in point of perception becoming our reality.
At a recent networking event, I met David who was relaying a story of being awarded a project after an unexpected encounter with a potential client. “That’s so lucky, how amazing that you were in the right place at the right time!” another attendee said.
Again, there is a perception in a story like this that is all down to chance. That some of us are just lucky.
Can we, however, make our own luck? What can we think, and do, to increase our chances of being lucky?
Yes, there is an element of chance in a lot of situations. To be in the ‘right place at the right time’ to be awarded a new project required a number of things to fall into place. David had to decide to attend the seminar in the first place. As did the person who had the requirement for David’s services. It was by chance that they both ended up at the same table. It was by chance that the presenter asked them to share with the table a specific element of their work. Was it chance though that David was able to articulate the work he does in such a compelling way that it led the other person to ask to hear more about it over the lunch break? Was it by chance that this other person was listening for the opportunity to make connections with someone whose services met their current needs? Was it by chance that David was prepared without warning to give an on the spot pitch, including pricing, over a sandwich that day?
There’s no doubt that David’s actions, both before and on that day, contributed greatly to the luck of being in the right place at the right time.
Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. — Oprah Winfrey
I believe that to be a lucky person you need to have a lucky mindset.
A lucky mindset is the optimistic attitude to expect good fortune and spot possibilities.
A lucky mindset is having clarity of purpose to identify higher chance opportunities.
A lucky mindset is mastering your craft so you can maximise any chances that come your way.
A lucky mindset is being resilient and determined to keep going even when it seems that luck is against you.
Do you have a lucky mindset?
Are you ready to create your own luck?
I can’t help but think that a lucky mindset is a truly epic superpower.