Do you feel lucky?

Would you like to feel lucky?

Probably most of us could easily answer that question with a resounding yes. Yet, if I were to conduct a survey of people surrounding this subject I estimate that it would be a pretty even split between those who believe in luck versus another group who think that luck is sort of a myth. I’ve developed a heightened awareness of people using the term “lucky” or “luck” since I’ve been writing this newsletter. My early anecdotal, very personal research seems to indicate that most people want lucky results and yet likely don’t give much credibility to the idea that luck is a major force in our lives. I actually consider that reasonable given the multiple forces at play in most people’s thinking.

For those of you who listened to the track I shared to our podcast last week, you would have heard from Naval his definition of luck and it’s 4 forms. For those that didn’t, I’ll recap. The first type of luck is “dumb luck” which we are all familiar with, such as walking down the street and finding a $20 bill.

The second is the kind of luck that is a product of hard work and persistence. This is what I think of when I hear the saying, “it’s a numbers game”. A common phrase in various sales organizations because if you’re selling a set of encyclopedias door to door eventually you’ll find someone who is willing to buy.

The third type of luck that Naval references is really more of a skilled perception. It’s the idea that there are instances in the world where odds are more likely to result in a certain outcome and some people are good at noticing that. That means it’s possible to put themselves in a situation where they benefit from that luck.

Naval also offers a fourth version of luck which he describes as a unique production of character, brand, or mindset. And that he estimates luck will find the person who is truly the one-in-a-million at a thing. He describes this as being a expression of destiny. I agree. There is something to this and if you approach the world from a religious tradition, especially Christian, it probably sounds harmonically like something from the Biblical stories.

Every reference to “luck” or “chance” in scripture except one narrates an instance where humans were facing a specific choice and they used drawing lots or the Biblical equivalent to dice to find God’s will. The storytellers of the Bible saw this act of creating a chance event to be a reliable way to find God’s purpose. The one instance that doesn’t fit that category? It was the Roman soldiers deciding who would get Jesus’ seamless garment, a documented proof of God having foretold the future through prophecy hundreds of years in advance.

What do I submit to you for consideration?

It’s that Naval was right. Luck as an approach to thinking is more inline with destiny than some random chance event.

Now here’s what I recommend you do with that.

One of the greatest causes for the unhappiness, lack of fulfillment and disappointment that is so prevalent today is purposelessness. Many of us want something that we haven’t even defined. Or we want something that even if acquired will prove meaningless. This vague wanting keeps us perpetually unsatisfied. I do encounter people who don’t see happiness as a reasonable goal, but in my experience they can be real downers.

I don’t want that for you or myself. That’s essentially how I got started on this leg of the journey. I evaluated my own life and acknowledged that there were some elements that were missing. This has led to the exercise of writing this blog.

Do you lack focus? It is usually one of the signs that our purpose hasn’t been fully imagined. A clear destiny will produce a kind of happy ambition. It should grow from a process of character refinement. And that has a pretty specific seed that is available to anyone who is willing to look.

Next week we’ll explore what that is. You are invited to take this trip with me.

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