Luck

So I have been pretty bad about writing lately, but I should hope to fix that.  I am going to change my writing schedule to Monday, Wednesday and Saturday instead of the normal Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I had been following….sort of.   This is because I have more free time on Monday and Wednesday and hope to be more consistent with writing.

            Yesterday had both moments of extreme luck and moments that would most likely be considered unlucky.

            1.  It was raining. I hate rain. (unlucky)

2.  I was told I needed to go into work as soon as I got out of class for a meeting, even though I usually do not work on Tuesdays.  (unlucky)

3. While walking to work in the rain, my friend offered me a ride (lucky)

4.  Walk into the building.  It was slippery, I tripped on myself.  My friend asked if I was okay and then proceeded to tell all of my coworkers throughout the day.  (unlucky)

5.  While walking back to school from work I found a $50 bill on the ground.  (Lucky)

6.  Found homework difficult (unlucky)

7.  Made a new friend while asking for help on homework (Lucky)

The point I am trying to make, is that there is no such day, item or prayer that will make your day luckier.   The things that we believe are “Lucky” are that way due to three items: Perception, hard work, pure coincidence.   I perceived the rain and going to work as unlucky, so they became unlucky.  But if I thought that rain was a good thing or that going into work was helpful ( I still got paid after all), then they could become lucky.  On the flip side, if I perceived my friend driving me to work (I needed to get exercise) or making a new friend (maybe I would have learned more if I did it myself) as unlucky, then I could have had unlucky moments. 

People often confuse hard work for luck.  I have heard so many people tell hard working individual that they are “lucky” for all the awards and success that they have earned. Luck had nothing to do with it.  Let’s look at my moments from yesterday.  Perhaps if I had remembered to wipe my feet or wear rain shoes, then I would not have slipped.  Or, if I had paid more attention in class or had made time to go to office hours, then I would not have found the homework so hard.   

And yes, luck comes from coincidence.  Finding the $50 can really be attributed to nothing more than coincidence.    I did not know that I would find that money on the ground, nor did I expect it.  But my luck is another person’s misfortune. 

But whatever happens, happens.  The truth is we think that some person if luckier than the other.  That picking up heads up pennies on the ground, carrying a rabbit’s foot or wearing that special underwear is going to make us luckier.  But the truth is life is going to come up heads just as many times as it comes up tails.  It’s what you do with what life gives you that matters.