So, today’s Friday the 13th of 2020. Is this the most unlucky day of the century? The worst Friday? The worst year? To what will you attribute the problems and tragedies that occur on this day? This week? This year? The first two-thirds of your life?
Some people and businesses have spiraled down in 2020, and it’s been painful beyond belief. Some are hanging by a thread financially, on the verge of losing houses, cars, businesses, and possibly their seniors (to Covid19 and not enough health insurance). Some “unlucky” people have smaller troubles, like the garage door opener won’t work, or there’s a huge pile of leaves in the yard they need to rake, or they have $30K in credit card debt to pay off, or they lost a big business contract in 2020.
Or is today the most lucky? The best Friday? The best week? The best year? The best two-thirds of your life? I don’t know about you, but I’ve been having a fantastic day! I love Fridays and am enjoying every part of this one. This has been my very best week in business to date. This year has been awesome in so many ways I can hardly count them all. I’m not gloating. Believe me, I have had some pretty awful days, miserable Fridays, lousy weeks, and tragic years in my life. So much so that I have despaired of living. I’m not saying we don’t struggle with the events that happen. What I am saying is that people who are “lucky” know something that “unlucky” people don’t:
Events don’t make you “unlucky.” Your response to the event creates the outcome you will live with.
A “lucky” person may have a garage door opener that’s broken (event), but they are grateful to have a garage, calendared an online shopping trip to replace it, and are working on their goal to pay cash for their next new sportscar which they’ll be purchasing on 12/31/2020 to get the best possible price (response).
A “lucky” person may have a huge pile of leaves to rake, even soaked by rain. It does happen every autumn (event). But they’re grateful to have a yard, happy they bought a rake years ago that still works because they take care of their tools, delighted to be healthy enough to rake the leaves and are looking forward to mulching the garden beds for free (response).
A “lucky” person may have $30K in credit card debt to pay off due to an unexpected expense (event), but they’ve worked a plan and possibly even contacted a credit repair company to help them pay it off within three years, and are grateful for the progress they see each month when the statements come in (response).
A “lucky” business owner may have lost their biggest opportunity when that business contract fell through because of Covid19 and the economic downturn (event), but they’ve been busy learning what customers need, have pivoted, and are pursuing new opportunities that they expect will pay off in the next year, and dwarf that contract they’d lost earlier in the year (response.)
So luck is not something that happens to you. Luck is something you create by your response to what happens to you. Give up being “unlucky” and get “lucky” by choosing a positive response to events that happen.
My Friday the 13th Coaching Tip: Write down the events that have impacted you. Write a new response plan, and start taking action on it. TGIF13.