Are you feeling lucky?

Is hard work really necessary?

We see in the media:

-politicians and beauty queens who get by on a smile and a wink

-lottery winners who turn a lifetime of lousy jobs into one big payday

-sports stars who are born with skills we could never hope to acquire

-Hollywood celebrities with the talent of being in the right place at the right time

-Failed CEOs with $40 million buyouts

It really seems (at least if we believe the media) that who you know and whether you get 'picked' are the two keys to success. Luck!

The thing about luck is this:

We're already lucky.

We're insanely lucky that we weren't born during the black plague or in a country with no freedom.

We're lucky that we've got access to wonderful tools and terrific opportunities.

If we set that luck aside, though, something interesting shows up. Delete the exceptions--the people who are hit by a bus or win the lottery, the people who luck out in a big way, and we're left with everyone else. And for everyone else, effort is directly related to success. Not all the time, but as much as you would expect. Smarter, harder working, better informed and better liked people do better than other people, most of the time.

Effort takes many forms.

Showing up, certainly.

Knowing stuff (being smart might be luck of the draw, but knowing stuff is the result of effort).

Being kind when it's more fun not to.

Paying forward when there's no hope of tangible reward.

Doing the right thing.

You've heard these things a hundred times before, of course, but I guess it's easier to bet on luck. I think we've been tricked by the stories of lucky people on the top of the heap. We see the folks who manage to skate by, or who get so much more than we think they deserve, and it's easy to forget that:

a. these guys are the exceptions
and
b. there's nothing you can do about it anyway.

While luck may be appealing, you don’t get to choose luck.

But you can choose effort. If you want to stand out, you will have to do more. Suggestions?

Exercise or get on a diet. Read relevant non-fiction (trade magazines, journals, business books, etc.) Send thank you notes. Learn new computer skills. Volunteer. Teach someone something you have learned. Spend time, make time, for being with the people you love. Spend less, save more.If you somehow pulled this off, then six months from now, you would be the fittest, best rested, most intelligent, best funded and motivated person in your office or your field. You would know how to do things other people don't, you'd have a wider network and you'd be more focused.

Or, then again, you can do like me and just hold out to win the lottery.

I am hoping for Good Luck! Good luck to you too! Ric