Are You Lucky?

How Would You Answer This Question?

I know someone who asks every job candidate he interviews: “Are you lucky?” He says that the answer is a window into the candidate’s psyche. The responses he’s heard span everything from definitive yeses to surprisingly honest no’s to some philosophies in between including that you create your own luck.

How about you? Do you believe in luck and if so, do you consider yourself lucky?

Ready For Luck

While at a dinner event that included a fundraising raffle, a woman’s name was called for the grand prize. She excitedly made her way to the stage, all the while exclaiming, “I never win anything!” I chuckled at the irony; after all, she was winning something. Perhaps our good luck goes unappreciated at times.

At the other end of the spectrum is something funny I read in an email entitled 20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level of Insanity. One of them was to scream “I won! I won!” when the money comes out of the ATM. Something about this appeals to me.

When is the last time you felt lucky? Was it getting a good parking space or finding the last item on the shelf hidden way in the back? Perhaps it was more profound, such as meeting someone at an unlikely moment or escaping a health crisis.

My definition of luck doesn’t involve superstition or absolute randomness. I give more weight to providence and personal power. Luck to me simply means believing that life is rooting for you and wants to be good to you. Being aware and open to opportunity – ready for luck – has something to do with it also. Maybe we get luckier each time we notice when good luck happens.

You Lucky Duck!

Just like whether the glass is half empty or half full, you can argue both sides. Since you can’t prove whether luck exists or not, it’s up to you what to make of it. As for me, I choose to believe I’m one lucky duck!

This Week: Just once when you’re at the ATM machine and the cash is coming out, even if you feel silly, exclaim out loud: “I won, I won!” At the very least, you’ll be smiling. Maybe this attitude will spill over into other areas of your life, too. You’ll find yourself saying, “Wow, how lucky am I!” or telling loved ones that you are lucky to have them in your life. The next time you say, “With my luck…” let it have a positive connotation.

“Luck is believing you’re lucky.”
–Tennessee Williams