Over lunch last month, I asked a successful business man what attributed to his great success. After all, as CEO he had sold his previous company for over $25B and then went on to found, grow, and recently sell another successful $Billion revenue-producing firm. He said, “I’m lucky and I take risks.”
What’s your definition of luck?
Oprah Winfrey says, “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” The Oxford American Dictionary states luck is ‘chance thought of as a force that brings good or bad fortune. ‘
In his recent New York Times article, “What’s Luck Got to Do With It?” Jim Collins, bestselling author of Good to Great and co-author of the new book Great by Choice, states “Luck, good and bad, happens to everyone, whether we like it or not. When we look at 10xers [companies that are 10 times more successful than expected] we see people who recognize luck and seize it, leaders who grab lucky events and make much more of them.”
A new and better definition of luck would be ‘good or bad fortune based on chance or destiny and the individual’s response to the situation.’
What can you do to improve your luck?
- Be Open. See situations and recognize them as lucky opportunities.
- Take Action. Grab the event, make a decision on how to respond, and then act. Take advantage of luck.
- Surround Yourself with Proper People. Find people who believe they are lucky and who take action in response to opportunities.
- Have a Lucky Attitude. Just like the successful CEO mentioned above believe you are lucky. Look to the bright side of things.
- Think Like a Billionaire. Learn and live by the wisdom Rick Sapio discerned from his interviews of 23 extremely wealthy people as shared in this article http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/how-to-think-like-a-billionaire/
You have a choice. Success is self-determined. In the end, business and life are exactly what you choose to make of them. Choose to be lucky!
