There is a recipe for creating “good luck.”

“Care and diligence bring luck.”

Thomas Fuller

Exactly what is “luck?” There were two definitions which really stood out to me as I thought through the meaning of this quote.

Luck“good fortune; advantage or success, considered as the result of chance. Is it chance when one has done the hard work and is prepared when some new opportunity presents itself?

Luckthe force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person’s life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities. Is it luck when hard work, dedication and commitment causes a person to seemingly be in the right place at the right time?

There is an old saying that “luck favors the bold.” I think this applies especially well when paired with today’s quote. When you do the work, and pay attention to the details, and truly care, then “luck” happens as if by magic. If you don’t care and you aren’t diligent, then you’ll never even know you missed out an opportunity. That’s not bad luck, and it certainly isn’t bold. For me this is living a life without meaning…

shallow focus photography of four leaf clover
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To trust, look in the mirror…

“Trust is earned in the smallest of moments. It is earned not through heroic deeds, or even highly visible actions, but through paying attention, listening, and gestures of genuine care and connection.”

Brene Brown

Trust is a gift. If you want to give that gift to others, and have them trust you in turn, you must first pay attention to oneself. Are you showing genuine care and connection for others? Are you listening? Are you paying attention? Are you looking for reasons to trust someone, or reasons not to trust?

Trust is a mirror and you can only see one thing when you look in the mirror. Yourself…

Commit to caring…

“Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.”

Jim Rohn

It’s so easy to get this backwards isn’t it? When something goes wrong or when there is a problem people can focus their efforts on the person and not on the problem itself. Statements like “it’s their fault,” or “they need to do it differently” are pervasive and occupy all the bandwidth. It seems like it is far easier to offer criticism and blame than it is to wrestle with the problem that is actually at hand.

Perhaps this happens because when you address the problem you are making the commitment to become part of the solution and when you are focused on the person you are removing yourself from the solution equation. So if you show that you care, you commit yourself to serving and helping another person. There is no room in life for blaming, condemning or criticizing others with no energy expended towards solving the problem.

Watch your thoughts today and see what your natural response is. If you don’t like it, change it…

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dusty

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