Luck or Good Luck?

Great article from Alex Rovira and Fernando Trias de Bes in this weeks NewsWeek about creating your own luck. Essentially the article reveals something pretty simple, and something I have believed for a long time now: We make our own good luck.

Creators of good luck have the following five main principles in common:

Responsibility
If there is a common factor that is evident among all the creators of good luck, it is that they know themselves to be responsible for their own actions. In other words, when things go wrong or the outcome of any given situation is other than intended, they never point the finger of blame at external factors or other individuals. Instead, they look to themselves and ask, "What have I done for this to occur?"

Learning from Mistakes
Creators of good luck don't see a mistake as a failure. Instead, a mistake is an opportunity for learning. Thomas Edison is the classic example. History tells us that the inventor made more than 1,000 attempts before inventing the first long-lasting electric light bulb. Until then, all his trials and experiments led to durations of no more than a few minutes before air would filter into the glass bulb, supplying the oxygen that led to the combustion of the various filaments he tried.

The story goes that one of Edison's colleagues asked him, "Mr. Edison, don't you feel you are a failure?" Lacking any sense of vanity, the great man answered, "Not at all. Now, I definitely know more than a thousand ways how NOT to make a light bulb."

Sure enough, just a few days later, the man whose brainstorms would remake the world finally turned his inspiration into a practical concept. By the way, the very first light bulb was invented by Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, who demonstrated the theoretical concept but gave up trying to develop a practical application after only three attempts. By contrast, Edison made his own good luck and designed a working light bulb.

Perseverance
Creators of good luck don't give up. They don't postpone. They don't "leave it for another day." The formula is quite simple: When a problem or situation arises that requires attention, they act immediately. And what they do is one of the following three things: they either solve it without delay, delegate, or forget about it.

Confidence
Confidence is divided into two parts: confidence in yourself and confidence in the others. Confidence in yourself is essential, and those who create their own good luck are remarkable for their high degrees of assertiveness and self-esteem. These qualities allow them to keep to their purpose, to persevere, and to work to create the conditions that ultimately do so much to achieve objectives .

Cooperation
Trust in others leads to solid a network of work colleagues and friends, which, in turn, brings into play substantially more resources to carry out projects than if they were managed alone. The logic is based on cooperation rather than competitiveness. Such people are aware of the fact that, at the most basic level, any project or undertaking takes place in the context of the broader group, and that all parties must have a realistic prospect of emerging as winners if all concerned are to produce their best efforts.

So, what's the difference between luck and good luck?

Think of luck -- the sort that wins lotteries -- as the end result of a random game of chance: It can be favorable or not, but whatever shape it takes, its presence will always be occasional, brief, and impermanent. But often the people who have won big prizes lose everything they gained, typically within a few years of hitting the jackpot. Furthermore, their personal relationships with family, friends, and colleagues often have been seriously affected because of problems stemming from avarice, jealousy, and greed.

On the other hand, since those who create their own good luck owe success only to themselves and their own initiatives, not just to a random roll of the dice, they are acutely aware of the origins of their good fortune. Moreover, having seen it work before, they know and understand the process that produces it, and know the same principles can be put to work again and again.

Great article, and a great philosophy.

Comments

[Sue T]

The article is based on a book that Rovira and Trias de Bes wrote called Good Luck: Create the Conditions for Success in Life & Business. It has sold almost 1 million copies worldwide and is hitting the US in September. I am attending a special booksigning with these authors in New York in Sept. Email me if anyone wants an invite. [email protected].

[John Tanenhaus]

Actually you can buy the book already on www.amazon.com. Just look up Good Luck + Rovira. or read the review on www.800CEOREAD.com and get it there.