Preparedness + Opportunity = Luck

I read somewhere that luck is simply preparedness meets opportunity. I love this definition, as it resonates with me on a faith based level.

Luck or Faith
 
Whether you are a person with strong convictions regarding faith or luck, it is my belief they are very similar within this basic definition.

• Luck/Faith = Preparedness + Opportunity

Overnight Success

Many people when they say someone is 'lucky' mean that something completely random happened to someone who was in the right place at the right time (with no intention on their part). In other words it's like the rolling of dice, completely random and uncontrolled.

• Lucky = Random + Uncontrolled

Often times, people say when a musician gets "discovered" and becomes an overnight success, that they were 'lucky'. Anyone who has ever 'made it' would argue they were not lucky but worked hard to get where they are. They would also argue that they were able to capitalize on the opportunity when it arrived only because they had prepared for this moment all their life.

Case and point, a musician never becomes an overnight success if they didn't first figure out how to play an instrument and put in thousands of hours of practice. The opportunity to audition for a band and be chosen, is lost because they lacked the skill set preparedness would have afforded them.
 
The Truth 
​
With preparedness as a component of the formula for luck/faith (preparedness + opportunity), how does one then access the opportunity potion of the equation? The Truth is, opportunity is never our responsibility to create, control or manage. 

For me and my journey, I discovered years ago that it's vital to define what my responsibly is and what Truth's is. Life has taught me I can't accomplish Truth's part and it can’t do mine. In other words it's a partnership and only I can prepare for the opportunity Truth has prepared for me. I've also learned if I choose to trust Truth and wait for the opportunity Truth has created for me, all the while preparing for it to arrive, I won't be disappointed.

​However, as I prepare, I've learned if I create an expectation around an opportunity that's not mine, I will be disappointed and will likely stop preparing for the real opportunity that belongs to me. Therefore, my expectation needs to be adjusted because disappointed is proof I engaged in an opportunity that was not mine to have.

For me this usually means I need to circle back and stop engaging in opportunities based upon my expectations, for the Truth is they don't belong to me. My goal therefore is to continue to have faith and prepare for as long as it takes until the opportunity that matches my preparedness arrives.

​Embrace struggle!

by Bonnie Penner