It's not about luck

Regardless of what happens, there are (nearly) always possibilities. The role of luck has long been debated when it comes to success, but what’s a much bigger factor is what we do with that luck.

A great resource if you're looking to explore this more is Jim Collins' book Great By Choice. In this particular comparative study, he and his team identified 'return on luck' as a factor that separated the more successful companies they studied when compared to the less successful ones. It's pretty simple: we all have good luck and bad luck. But, the people (and companies) who are able to take greater advantage of their good luck and mitigate the damage from their bad luck are much, much more successful.

Here's the way I look at it:

If we’re not careful, luck distracts us.

With good luck, we have a tendency to coast.

With bad luck, we have a tendency to give up.

In both cases, the same problem arises: we stop following our plan. We stop paying attention. We become undisciplined. We lose sight of possibilities, opportunities, and our ability to make the most of the situation, whether it’s good or bad. We give up our influence and ability to shape a situation and end up worse off as a result.

Yet another example, I'd say, about success being less about what happens to you and more about what you do with it.