“Luck is when Preparation meets Opportunity” Seneca
When I first read this quote, attributed to the Roman Stoic philosopher, Seneca, I wondered to what extent this wisdom was true in our day and age? Does not luck come as a stand-alone product, or does it have to be correlated to opportunity? Isn’t luck just about being at the right place at the right time?
Looking at the simple definition of luck, we see that it “is the force that brings good fortune or adversity; the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual.”
Some people argue that what makes a person lucky is an equation composed of two elements: the person themselves and the opportunity that comes along. To define a person is probably the most complicated thing: intrinsic values, character, stamina, drive and enthusiasm are some attributes that really differentiate one human being from the other. Another important personal characteristic is optimism, with all the benefits that naturally come along with it, be it to the person themselves in the first place, their work and their future in general. It is undeniable that, generally speaking, optimistic people seem to be more advantageous than others; in other words, luckier than the average person. Those people are usually open to and ready for new opportunities, so when the latter presents themselves, they do not hesitate to grab them. Moreover, lucky people are skilled at creating and noticing lucky opportunities; they make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition; create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations; and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.
Opportunities might be calling, are we really prepared to get lucky?
