Is Luck Just Perspective?

My co-workers and I were trying to define luck at work recently. Confusion about what luck is often happens because it seems to have multiple definitions with the word falling into the following categories: Random Chance, Actions, Mindset, and Fate. We agreed that for something to be considered 'luck' it needed to be a surprise, which would categorize our version as 'random chance'. Some people find this definition of luck to be offensive. Hustle culture does not believe in luck, with most quotes you find referencing luck looking like the following:

"I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often." - Brian Tracy

"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work- and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't." - Lucille Ball

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Seneca

These quotes fall under the 'actions' definition. I think that if you prepared for it and were looking for it, then it would just be a consequence of your actions, not exactly luck. There is a lot of "I" in the above quotes, so what about bad luck? Did people work hard for that as well? Are we entirely responsible for our own success or struggles? "When wealth is passed off as merit, bad luck is seen as bad character. This is how ideologues justify punishing the sick and the poor. But poverty is neither a crime nor a character flaw. Stigmatize those who let people die, not those who struggle to live." - Sarah Kendzior Bad things happen and sometimes there is no amount of preparation, looking on the bright side, or positive affirmations that can make it right. Many things are out of people's control. "Sympathy is easy. You have sympathy for starving children swatting flies on the late-night commercials. Sympathy is easy because it comes from a position of power. Empathy is getting down on your knees and looking someone else in the eye, and realizing that you could be them. and that all that separates you is luck." - Dennis Lehane In these scenarios, luck really is random chance. Many advantages that are taken for granted (for example- what country you were born in), were not brought about by you. How well the country is set up for the success of future generations depends on the foresight and generosity of people in the past. If these people claimed that they 'earned' everything they acquired, they will be less likely to think everyone 'deserves' to have their advantages.

Here is where I think that mindset comes into play. Are you considered lucky if you just avoided being hit by a car, or unlucky because a car almost hit you? This will depend entirely on your attitude about the situation. "Those with a perpetual victim mindset tend to create the situations from which they suffer." - Steve Maraboli If this is true, would considering yourself to be lucky or unlucky be as easy as a shift in your perspective? One year at tax refund time, our cooking stove gasped its last and we had to go and buy another one. I did not want to spend the money, but at least it was there. It was the end of winter and appliances were at their lowest prices of the year so I was able to purchase a nicer model than if it had happened later on. Having to replace the stove was not bad luck, the poor thing worked hard, but the timing turned out to be lucky.

We also agreed that there were some people who seemed to be truly lucky. This definition could be part of fate, that they were meant to have things happen in their life, they were destined. Although, if someone believes in fate, then they will not attribute things that happen in their lives to luck, but to the Gods or the stars or whoever is guiding their destiny. I think there are things that we are meant to do and people we are destined to meet, but we have some influence over the rest of it. "'Lucky Girl Energy': For me, this idea goes beyond luck- it's about consciously altering my energy to tap into that uplifting feeling where everything seems to align perfectly. Embracing a positive attitude regularly and facing each day believing I'm fortunate, abundant, and lucky brings more ease and joy to life. So, why not believe with full conviction that luck is always by my side?" - @Libellec_blog

Humans will often take an object and say that it is lucky. These objects might be rare or hard to find, such as a four-leaf clover, or they maybe something we had with us when something good happened and now we think it is the cause of our good fortune. I read somewhere that carrying a lucky item is our attempt at trying to control situations such as the outcome of a game. Despite our efforts, luck cannot be forced. "Luck is a goddess not to be coerced and forcibly wooed by those who seek her favors. From such masterful spirits she turns away. But it happens sometimes that, if we put our hand in hers with the humble trust of a little child, she will have pity on us, and not fail us in our hour of need." - P.G. Wodehouse

People who consider themselves lucky share the mindset of gratitude. "Offering genuine gratitude comes from a willingness to take account for all you have been given and to understand that none of it was guaranteed." - Day Schildkret Good luck, bad luck, great timing, fate intervening, the blessings of the Gods, stars aligning, opportunity presenting itself, hard work paying off, or the power of a lucky pair of socks, are viewed with grateful eyes. This feeling of gratitude is even better if it is shared with others. "True love is when both people think that they are the lucky one." - unknown

Believing you are lucky(either good or bad) influences how you view life experiences. We can help ourselves along by taking action and being on the lookout for "luck" in the form of opportunities, knowing that they aren't promised. Acknowledge that sometimes bad luck has good timing. Show gratitude by expressing your amazement at your good fortune and using your gain to help others. Perhaps these actions will entice Lady Luck to throw a little your way (if you're lucky!) 😄If you liked the quotes used in today's post, please check out my free printable quote sheet here.

Love and Hope,

Big Sky Baby