Someone once said that luck is when the bread falls on the floor with the buttered side up. Now, that is hard to beat. Because there are millions of people in our prosperous country who base their future on luck, I felt it might be a good investment of our time today to talk about this a little bit. I am sure you have heard this statement before, “That man or that woman is the luckiest person in the world.” We have all been around people who seem to have the Midas Touch or the Luck of the Irish, as everything they touch turns to gold. Well, if this is true for you, I hope your luck never runs out.
To gain a little deeper insight into this word that we all like, especially if it’s preceded by the word “Good,” this question please, “What is luck?” Mr. Webster defines luck as the fortuitous happening of fortunate or adverse events, or simply “good fortune.” Now, here is a personal question that I believe will bring what I am saying a little closer to home. Do you believe in luck? Please give some thought to your answer because it may have more effect on your future than you may realize.
While this is a very personal thing, for what it’s worth, please permit me to share how I view luck. I believe in luck up to a point. The point being that I am not going to depend on luck to build our business, make a living or feed our family. If some luck or good fortune comes along, fine. I’ll take it and thank the good Lord for it, but that is as far as it goes.
The truth is, there are some people who are lucky, like the person who wins the lottery. In this case, these people simply beat the odds, a million to one, a hundred million to one or whatever they were. However, for you as an individual, the odds are better that you will be struck by lightning than to win the lottery jackpot. The lottery people always put the “winner” on television for promotion, but it would take several years if they were to give the same treatment to the “losers” and put them all on television.
Talking about odds reminded me of the man who was about to get on an airplane for the first time. He said, “What are the odds there will be a bomb on this airplane? The airline official said, “We have done a study, and the odds are a million to one that there will be a bomb on this airplane.” The man said, “I don’t like those odds.” The airline official replied “Well, if you take a bomb on with you, the odds are a billion to one that there won’t be two bombs on this airplane.”
Back to the word “luck” for a moment. Most of us who live in this great country consider ourselves lucky to have a job, good health, a good home and all the other blessings that many of us take for granted. In planning for our future, however, most of us need to be reminded of some things from time to time. First, we need to understand that luck comes most often when preparation meets opportunity. As I have said many times, “The smarter and harder I work, the ‘luckier’ I get.” If you really want to increase your chances for good luck, here is how to go about it. The letters in the word luck stand for “Labor Under Correct Knowledge.” When we labor or work under true or correct knowledge, the odds are good that we will be far more successful.
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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)