A Crash Course on Luck

Today I had a crash course on luck — both good luck and bad luck.

• I ran a workshop at a conference on how to “See and Seize Opportunities,” and was lucky that everything went smoothly, and the audience was pleased.
• After my talk, I went outside to have lunch. I was lucky that someone left early and I was able to change my seat to one under a large sun umbrella.
• I was unlucky that a big gust of wind picked up the umbrella (because someone had failed to bolt it to its base) and was hit in the head with the flying umbrella.
• I was lucky to have friends at the table who quickly took action to make sure I was alright.
• I was incredibly lucky that I wasn’t sitting two inches closer to the table. If that were the case, I certainly wouldn’t be in a position to write this now.
• I was unlucky that I was badly shaken, and missed the afternoon sessions of the conference, that I was really looking forward to.
• I was lucky that there was a nurse and paramedics nearby who made sure that I was OK.
• I was lucky that there was a quiet place for me to sit to relax after this episode.
• I am lucky that after a couple of hours of rest, I feel pretty well.

This true tale is a reminder that there is good luck and bad luck embedded in most experiences. We can choose to look at the positive consequences of any situation or the negative consequences. In most cases both are there. Even in the most dire situations, you can find glimpses of good luck. And, in the best situations, there are usually some dark shadows.

• When you go get sick (unlucky), you find out who your true friends are (lucky) and have a chance to rethink what is really important (lucky).
• When you go on a wonderful vacation (lucky) you might miss your friends and family at home (unlucky) and return might return to a situation that is less exciting (unlucky).
• If you lose a job (unlucky) you will likely find your way to an interesting new opportunity and have a chance to reboot your life (lucky).
• When you get a new job (lucky) you will likely need to engage with some people who you don’t particularly like (unlucky).
• And, when you fail in anything — a test, a company, a relationship (unlucky) — you can learn something important that will allow you to succeed the next time (lucky).

Good and bad luck are intimately related, like the two sides of a coin. You can’t have one without the other. You might get a string of heads (good luck), but at some point tails (bad luck) will show up. By continuing to throw the coin, eventually heads will show up again, and vice versa.

Remember, it’s all good in the end… If it’s not good, it’s not the end.

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Note: I share more of my thoughts on luck here.