What’s “luck” got to do with it?
I was brought up with the work ethic that success requires dedication and hard work. The concept of “luck” was for winning the lottery (although even there, you have to buy a ticket). With that in mind, I have worked hard and succeeded at just about every job and career I’ve chosen. When I haven’t succeeded, I’ve been able to look back and see where more effort would have produced a different outcome.
However, the last few years I’ve heard the phrase “good luck” more often than I think I’ve heard it my entire life. Is it the industry I’ve chosen? Is it a sign of the times? Never having considered myself a lucky person, the concept is disconcerting. Add to that, I’ve noticed an unprecedented number of people succeeding (or at least appearing to do so) by shear luck - born into a family that hands them what they need, having the right friends at the right time who help them…and it makes me wonder.
Do we need “luck” to succeed?

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Telling someone "good luck" is almost as bad as telling a performer "break a leg" (believe me!)
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"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Diligence is the mother of good luck." -Benjamin Franklin
"I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity." -Oprah Winfrey
"Luck marches with those who give their very best." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
"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
"Be prepared, work hard, and hope for a little luck. Recognize that the harder you work and the better prepared you are, the more luck you might have." -Ed Bradley
"The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself." - Douglas MacArthur
Need I say more?
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"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Diligence is the mother of good luck." -Benjamin Franklin
"I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity." -Oprah Winfrey
"Luck marches with those who give their very best." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
"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
"Be prepared, work hard, and hope for a little luck. Recognize that the harder you work and the better prepared you are, the more luck you might have." -Ed Bradley
"The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself." - Douglas MacArthur
Need I say more?
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All else is work, difficult or not---seeing it through.
Enjoying life. Money is not the end all.
Happy life.
Then there are blessings, I waited for a daughter to enter my life for as long as I remember---she did not come easy---I went after what I wanted with a vengence. Lots of intervention (divine and medical) and here she is....I'm still in awe..and luck had nothing to do with it :)
I do believe that what you put out to the universe will come back to you...pay it forward every chance you have--
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Great Blog Liz. Further proof that there is no relationship between the length of a blog and its quality. :)
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