Lucky

You see an NFL receiver sprint past the cornerback and snag a 22-yard touchdown reception out of the air on a perfectly placed throw. You watch an MMA fighter tag an opponent on the chin with a counter punch, knocking him out cold within two minutes of the first round. A CEO for a large international startup company pulls in ten million dollars annually. Your best friend somehow scores a few dates with a girl way out of his league…

You wake up every day and hit snooze on your alarm clock. Ten minutes goes by and once again you hit snooze. By the third snooze you’re nearly leaping out of bed, throwing your clothes on, grabbing a piece of toast for breakfast, and sprinting out the door five minutes later than your conscience will allow. You get to work four minutes late, slip into the office, and begin your daily tasks seemingly unnoticed. The first few hours of the day are filled with the anxiety that at some point your boss will inevitably bring up the fact that you were four minutes late to work and give you a similar lecture to the one your mom used to give you when you didn’t wake up for school on time. But low and behold, that moment never comes. In fact, you go the entire day without ever being disciplined for having been late to work. And even though you tell yourself tomorrow you will not hit snooze, you do once again, and once again you find yourself sprinting to your car, praying to the sky that you’ll get lucky and there won’t be any major accidents on the freeway.

Where does luck end and action begin?

                It often seems as though we live in a culture invested in teaching our youth that a particular word or phrase exists, but there is no interest in teaching them of the context where said word or phrase should actually be used. Often when people see other people who’s success they envy, rather than attribute that to action, they write it off by uttering a phrase such as “lucky you.”

                It is not incorrect to assume that every person you meet has received their fair share of luck in this life. Just simply being born in the United States is in itself a great representation of good fortune or “luck.” In the United States, the average citizen makes roughly $35,000 annually, nearly twice the average of the rest of the world. Barring incredibly unlucky circumstances, quite simply being born into this country gives you a fair amount of luck right from the get go.

                Though I may not feel so lucky when I’m cold and thirsty, tossing around my tent trying to avoid vicious leg cramps while reaching down to scratch my bug bitten legs, through my wilderness ventures, I hear quite often from my peers how “lucky” I am. In many ways they are right. I was born in a country that values its unique geographical features enough to preserve them for every generation, including my own and those who will follow. But the fact that I and many others like myself take advantage of this great opportunity to immerse ourselves in the natural splendors of our landscape does not infer that there is no sacrifice required to enjoy such treasures. In fact, every few months members of congress do their best to sell off these public lands without our democratic consent.

                So where does luck end and action begin? For the NFL player, it’s when he lugs heavy pads around, running full speed ahead into another person of equal talent, risking great bodily injury for the likelihood of only playing for a few years. He sets himself apart by his will to conquer. For the MMA fighter it’s being the first one in the gym and the last one out. The bravery to stand in a cage with the most talented and skilled fighters on the planet with only the time on the mat, the days of blood and sweat, and the drive to pull their aching body out of bed in the morning to do it all again, often while working a full time job. For the CEO, it’s the time spent evaluating themselves and others. Speaking with confidence and self belief. It’s doing what needs to be done every day to set themselves apart while everyone else is four minutes late to work, hoping no one noticed. For your friend, maybe he was the only one brave enough to ask her out… or maybe he’s just lucky…

                Webster’s dictionary says luck is ‘the force that brings good fortune or adversity’. Nowhere in the definition does work ethic, sacrifice, discipline, drive, persistence, attitude, or will to succeed come into play. And if luck truly is the greatest asset an individual has on their resume of success, then it should be known and taught that it is not a reliable component to expect or be sought after. The only reliable source of “luck” is the luck the can be created every day, in every moment, with every decision you make- or don’t.