What’s Luck Got to Do With It?

Have we ever earned anything in our lives?

Think of a time when there was something you really wanted. A goal you wanted to achieve. Perhaps it was a scholarship or award, a fitness goal, a promotion, something that required work to get. It’s something you wanted so badly that you went above and beyond the standard requirements or roadmap to achieve it. This is something that was so important to you that you put in more effort than you usually do for things, balancing blood, sweat and tears with the fulfillment of challenging yourself to reach your achievement.

Now imagine you are successful, and you share your success to celebrate this journey. Your loved ones congratulate you and then, suddenly, one pipes up with “you are so lucky this happened to you!”

I’m going to go ahead and assume that this would feel incredibly jarring! I mean, we just established that you worked really hard to reach your goal. You went above and beyond! How dare they diminish your effort!

It would be easy to dismiss this commentator as ignorant, insensitive, or even jealous. Most likely, they probably did not think about the implications of their words and were just trying to congratulate you in a different way than everyone else around them.

Let’s agree that it’s rarely appropriate to comment on someone’s luck in social situations. It makes too many presumptions about the individual, which, regardless of accuracy, is usually unwarranted and uncharitable.  

Okay, now that we set that all aside. It’s time for a thought experiment.

Are they wrong?

Yes, when we are thinking about all of your hard work and effort you put towards this specific goal.

However, if we start looking at everything that happened to you before you started, to get you into a place where you could actually work towards your goal - well, that’s a different situation.

Luck, in its essence, refers to the circumstances and events that are beyond our control but play a significant role in shaping our lives. It encompasses the random occurrences and opportunities that come our way without any influence from our actions or decisions. Circumstances that come about purely by luck include:

·        The country where you were born.

·        The support systems to which you have access.

·        Health, mobility

·        Generational wealth.

·        Access to education.

·        Access to opportunities, role models and mentorship.

And the list goes on…

If you really want to think about this in depth, check out this helpful Privilege Checklist. It may open your eyes to things you could be taking for granted.

Like we established before, this doesn't mean that hard work and effort are irrelevant. But acknowledging the role of luck in our lives can lead to a more empathetic and compassionate outlook towards others. It's important to recognize that not everyone starts from the same place, and circumstances beyond one's control can heavily influence their path in life. Distance Traveled is a worthwhile metric to consider (and something I also discuss with Sabriya Charles in this podcast episode).

In any case, acknowledging luck doesn't diminish effort or hard work. It simply reminds us that life is a complex interplay of factors, some of which we can control, and others that we can't. Instead of taking credit solely for our achievements, consider taking a moment to reflect and feel gratitude for your good fortune and consider how you can use your success as an opportunity to lift others up.

So, the next time someone mentions luck, remember that while it may not define your effort, it can be a reminder of life's unpredictable nature and the importance of being grateful for the opportunities that come our way.

What’s your relationship to luck?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Also, do you want to be notified of my blog post and my other updates once a month? Subscribe to my free substack newsletter 5 on the 9.