When I complained about my lack of luck to a friend of mine, she quoted Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States, who said, "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."
It is easy to be scared of real work. Thomas Edison, American inventor said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
Do you believe success is a matter of luck? Does opportunity or luck elude you? Do you believe famous people are just "lucky" because opportunity has found them?
What about comedian Tim Allen? During one week in 1994 he had the number one TV show: Home Improvement, the number one book on the bestseller list, Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man, and a number one film, The Santa Clause. The following year, he provided the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the blockbuster movie, Toy Story.
That sounds like a lot of luck but actually Tim Allen worked hard against enormous odds to achieve this prominence. Have you heard his story?
He was born in 1953 in Colorado and was one of six siblings. At the age of 11, his father was tragically killed by a drunk driver, leaving his life empty and his soul filled with bitterness about the cruel world he lived in. He found that humor hid his pain and in the process of being funny, discovered that he had a gift for entertainment. When humor was not enough to assuage the loss, he engaged in self-destructive drinking and drugs. In 1978 he was arrested in the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport for selling drugs and subsequently did 2 years in jail.
When Tim Allen was released from jail, he put on his overalls and went to work doing standup comedy and testing his material which later developed into the TV series, Home Improvement.
When you review all of Tim Allen's achievements after serving time in prison, I believe Margaret Thatcher, the first woman prime minister of England, epitomizes the way Tim Allen should feel. Thatcher said, "I wasn't lucky. I deserved it."
As you seek for greater levels of success in your life, remember these "Luck Rules":
1. Listen to unexpected impressions that come to mind: they can lead to unexpected lucky opportunities!
2. Hard work puts cause and effect into motion. Once you have experienced the effects and rewards of hard work, luck willingly climbs aboard.
3. Don't stand immobilized waiting for opportunity. Instead, turn an everyday occasion into an extraordinary and lucky one.
4. Prepare, prepare, and prepare for opportunity. There is nothing more demoralizing than being unprepared when an amazing, lucky opportunity presents itself.
5. Know exactly what you want and be fully determined to relentlessly pursue it and luck will find you.
6. When one door closes, don't stand and stare. Immediately open another one full of luck and opportunity.
7. Give 110%, then luck will kick in.
8. When opportunity knocks, answer immediately and luck will morph into something you have earned.
Follow these Luck Rules and luck will rule your life!
Karla Brandau, CSP, is an expert in change, leadership and team building in the flat world. She offers keynotes and workshops to move your organization forward. Sign up for her monthly newsletter, From the Desk of Karla Brandau and download free articles by going to http://www.KarlaBrandau.com. Contact Karla at 770-923-0883 for a free consultation or to check the availability of dates to bring Karla to your organization.