The Luck Myth

“What most people mistake for luck, is the alignment between intention, thought, and action.”

I hear people talk about luck often. It seems to be credited or blamed for many of the outcomes we experience on an individual bases. I intend to dispel this myth once and for all and offer an alternative explanation.

If you ask any successful entrepreneur what the secret to his success has been, he is likely to respond with something to the effect of “Hard work, determination, and a lot of luck…” But if we examine a little closer I bet we would find that the true secret to his success is the harmony between all 3 aspects of the self. Even if it is short lived and he has not developed the presence to notice.

THE INTENTION
The successful business man can not accomplish anything without first getting clear on what it is he intends to accomplish. He must first set a goal, then even set smaller goals or milestones along the way. Talk to any business coach and they all speak into goal setting. Many business plans have a long term goal, typically several years out. Then they have short term goals; smaller goals that measure the progress. These smaller goals are the metrics for which they quantify their progress, and they can make course corrections based on these milestones. No matter what word you choose to use, the fact remains that a goal is the product of intention.

THOUGHT
Once the intentions are set, the successful entrepreneur obsesses over this intention or goal night and day. His mind is consumed with thoughts of how to improve, how to grow, how to learn. He consistently fills his mind with positive thoughts of productive actions steps he can take to achieve his goals. He imagines the life he will have when the success that is sure to come begins to manifest in his life. It’s rare to meet any successful person with a pessimistic attitude. In my humble opinion, the mastery of the mind is the single most important element in this equation. Where the mind goes, our actions and behavior soon follow. Positive thinking creates an attitude of determination and perseverance. One who has mastered his mind doesn’t experience problems. Rather they choose to experience opportunities for growth. When the entrepreneur is clear on what it is he INTENDS to create, and his thoughts are in alignment with this stated intention, his actions and behavior naturally change.

ACTION
No intention, goal, or idea will ever bare fruit absent committed action. We can intend, and think all the happy thoughts we want, but action is what produces results. It’s cause and effect. The results we produce are dependent on the actions we take. Often times we find ourselves RE-ACTING to life’s circumstances and conditions, but this is the opposite of taking intended and committed action. The entrepreneur, with goal in mind, plans out a course of action and is not deterred by circumstance. He doesn’t waver, hesitate, or procrastinate. The intended result is the goal, not the methods by which he reaches that result. Keeping this in the forefront of your mind will enable you to make course corrections and create possibilities where there seem to be none.

When all 3 of these aspects are in harmony, it seems as though opportunities fall in your lap, doors mysteriously open, results happen, and you manifest your intention. We could call this “luck” but it’s much more than that. It’s the logical result of creating harmony with your mental body, physical body and emotional body. The entrepreneur persistently pursues his goals, and finds creative ways to address obstacles in his way. Then, all of a sudden, he gets his big break. That business deal goes through, that opportunity lands on his doorstep. He meets that partner with the expertise he needs. One milestone after the other, he reaches his goal. Then credits hard work, persistence and LUCK. After all, he never expected that opportunity to land in his lap. He never expected to meet that business partner. He never expected to land that big business contract. Luck MUST be a factor. The reality is, the energy we emit, is what we invite into our lives. When the universe seemingly opens up to us, it’s because we have created harmony in our life. When our emotional body, mental body and physical body are all in alignment with each other, things just seem to happen, seemingly, without any influence of our own.

Now I’ve gone to great lengths to examine how the entrepreneur reaches success, and mistakes it for luck, but we all experience this same course of events from time to time within our lives. I believe we all have those moments when we create this harmony in our lives. We have all had those experiences we identify as “lucky”. We call it “luck” because it doesn’t seem like something we can reproduce at will. Luck comes and goes. There isn’t any rhyme or reason why luck favors us in this moment and not the next. This, however, is not the case. Simply because we are unaware of HOW to reproduce this “luck” doesn’t mean that it’s not possible. If each day, we woke up and set an intention for the day, no matter how minor, then filled our minds with positive thoughts remaining present to this intention throughout our day, then chose our actions from this intention, no matter what circumstances arise; we would be the “luckiest” person alive. The moment we loose sight of this practice, and we surly will loose sight especially when things are going our way, then we start vibrating at a lower frequency and we invite obstacles, worry, and strife.

Now clearly, anyone who is present to these simple practices understands that luck has nothing to do with success; but how many have unconsciously chosen to follow these exact principles? Every single successful entrepreneur isn’t aware of these simple tools, yet they somehow find success anyway, so what gives? Is it possible, that throughout our lives, we each adopt these tools in any given situation? Is it possible that the when we are truly committed to something, positive thoughts and committed action come naturally? I say yes, not only is it possible, its almost a certainty. Then, when ego steps in, or negative thoughts, or procrastination sets in, we lose sight of what committed action looks like. When the “problem” comes up, or life’s circumstances and conditions step in our way, we tend to dwell on these things. We give this negative in our lives our energy and focus. This produces the “UN-lucky” streak. Only when our focus and energy shift, BACK to our intentions, does luck seem to favor us once again. Still not convinced? Take the challenge. Set an intention each day, focus your mind and energy on the positive thoughts, and ask yourself with each action you take, “is this action supporting me in manifesting my goals?” I bet you find that you are luckier than you thought!

-By: Matt Wolfe