This idea of luck is a comfortable excuse to explain away another person’s triumph. Luck is mostly a matter of preparation, skill and hard work.

If you really think about it, the idea that there is a magical force randomly granting some people luck or favor, while damning others, is outrageous. It all boils doing to statistics and probability. Fortunately for us, these chances can be influenced.

You may object by saying that sometimes people do just get lucky/unlucky and receive something they don’t deserve… and you are right.  There will always be a chance that something unforeseen goes wrong or right. However, the extent to which you can alter the outcome is greater than you may think.

Preparing for Success

Recognizing opportunities and effectively seizing them takes experience and skill. Conversely, walking through life not learning from the past or preparing for the future is a surefire way to keep yourself ‘unlucky’.

Putting your name in as many hats as possible is a habit that yields results over time. The more you are putting it out there, the more of a chance your idea, pitch, or plan has of making traction.

People often fail to put themselves out there in fear of social rejection. With zero risk, comes zero reward. I will elaborate on the art of putting it out there in the future.

Continuing on, the more people you interact with, the more opportunities you will have to connect. You will find ways to connect your goals to others, and others’ goals to your own opportunities. The creation of a mutually beneficial relationship is a beautiful and prosperous thing.

The most successful way of building this type of relationship is to actively seek out ways to help and connect other people. This may seem counter-intuitive; shouldn’t you be searching for ways you can gain?

The short answer is no, and is explained through the statistics of karma.

Statistical Karma

Karma is the eastern belief of cause and effect. Some schools of thought believe a divine force dishes out the fruits of one’s actions, while other schools believe a person is solely responsible for what their actions bring upon them.

From my perspective, karma and the good/bad events in your life boil down to statistics…

The more good deeds you do, the more positive relationships you form. Likewise with bad deeds; the more wrong you do, the less favor you will have with other people.

In other words, each interaction with another person  is an opportunity to create a positive or negative experience. How you chose to carry out that interaction will have a reverberating, or rippling, effect. Possibly unnoticed or realized until far in the future.

The more often you look to bring value to others, the more positive energy and favor you build. With each value-add, you increase the probability of good coming back to you.

This may seem like common sense, but common sense is rarely common and often is uncomfortable to practice.

Application

Recognizing the affects of karma and preparation, we should strive to take every chance to learn, grow and build positive energy.

Put your name in as many hats by actively speaking up when you hear of an opportunity that matches your, or others, interests

With enough practice you will begin creating your own good fortune and positive karma!

Today, I will discuss anti-productivity and getting less done. More importantly, enjoying your (limited) time….

Productive Zombies

Many people out there, who hack their way through the typical 9-5 job,  spend the majority of their waking hours focusing on their job. They are cranking out more widgets, selling more gizmos, calling Mrs. Jones about XYZ, filling out TPS reports, or any other typical work behavior that many adults spend most of their lives doing. Even when they are out of the office, their job stress clouds their mind.

Why do you get up and report to the same place to do the same thing day after day after day? For a paycheck that can buy things you don’t need? Or, do you have certain priorities that require you to trade your time for money?

I’m starting to believe that the life I’ve been conditioned to live is not the right way. The life I speak of is the “American Dream” that goes something like this:  You make good grades in school, so you will get admitted to get to the college, that will allow you to get the job, which will give you the money to buy the house, that you and your spouse can raise your 2.5 kids in,  then teach them the way to do it all over again, after that, you when you are old and gray, you can retire and relax last few years of your life away.

To me that life is boring and predictable. Where is the challenge?  In my old age I want to tell stories of adventure, of triumph and failure, how I had it all, lost it and then got it back again.

Now, if you are one of the lucky ones who loves what they do, cheers to you! Keep doing what you are and love your life.

If you are required to trade your time for money due to things such as bills, debt, a mouth to feed or whatever the case may be, that is understandable but not the only way it has to be.

I am trying to create a life of less. Less TV, less work, less material items. The idea is that hopefully this focusing on less will translate to less debt, less bills, lower stress and more freedom. It will allow me more time to focus on the things that make me happy and are truly important.

We should all lead an enjoyable life. Where the activities you do are intrinsically fulfilling and motivating. You shouldn’t dread getting up in the morning. You shouldn’t have to continue on a zombie-like life.

Being Anti-Productive

Start by trimming all the unimportant things out of your life. Do you really need to buy the latest fashion accessory or that shiny little thing that caught your eye? Can you get by on eating less expensive food? Cutting things out that aren’t necessary will allow you time to be anti-productive, better known as relaxed.

Contrary to what consumerism wants you to believe, you do not have to spend your life going in circles of production then consumption then back again.

More money saved means less money needed to be earned. Thus,  driving down your dependence on your day job. Eventually, if you cut your cost of living down, you will have the ability to do things you truly want to spend your time on.

Having money and material items is not the end all be all. Finding fulfillment in action and experience is what grows true happiness.