part0018

There are a lot of words for it: luck, destiny, karma, fate and thousands more from thousands of different languages. It’s a belief that many people have in a sense of cosmic balance, a weighting of the dice in their own favor.

Providence may very well exist, but that discussion’s beyond the scope of this book. But whether it exists or not, it’s certain that no one can predict on whom it will fall. Sure, lots of people are where they are by what seems like a blinding stroke of luck, but many others have the exact reverse. It doesn’t really seem to follow any metric of ‘worthiness’.

There’s also the fact that what is visible from the outside as luck is very often the result of a great deal of hard work and careful planning. You can never really know when looking as an observer in someone else’s life what went on behind the scenes, the effort and maneuvering that put that person in a position to better reap their good fortune. Belief in luck can be debilitating, causing the person who believes in it to rest their plans in things that are far from sure and fail to make the appropriate steps to secure their success.

Don’t let your plans hinge on anything that requires an element of luck and let go of the notion that you are destined for anything unless you put in the work. Always remember that the only way you can stack the odds in your favor is by applying your own effort, will and ingenuity to forge your path to success.

Take proactive action today on an area of your life that will increase the likelihood of good fortune. For example, sign up to a dating website for love, invest your money rather than spend it for wealth, or go for a run for health.