Thursday's Thought: With a Little Bit of Bloomin' Luck

How's your luck holding lately? Are you wondering what good spirit is showering you with so many blessings, or are you worrying about what you've done to deserve your sad, unlucky fate?

So many articles we read concern things we can control, things we need to do to be successful, actions we can take to improve our leadership skills, our communication skills, our time management skills, etc. We can learn to be better managers of all types. Heaven knows there are enough courses, workshops, webinars, podcasts, listicles, and seminars on those topics to keep any one of us busy learning -- if not actually doing -- for 1,000 years. Right?

We read the "right" books (although for a different perspective on that, check out this Inc. post from Dustin McKissen), we listen to all the TED talks, we practice elevator speeches -- all to grow our skills and build our brand.

But very few experts and/or writers talk about luck. Yes. Luck. That random-appearing event that can turn us from one path to another that seems to come out of nowhere. It can be good luck. It can be bad luck. But no one seems to talk about it in terms of having success.

I think many of us are familiar with this quotation -- or any one of its variations:

I am a great believer in luck. It always seems that the harder I work, the luckier I get.

Please understand: I do believe that hard work often -- maybe usually -- pays off.

Sometimes, though, no matter how hard we work, we get nothing to crow about. Sometimes it seems that the devils (not the angels) just "smile" on us and make us miserable.

But sometimes! Oh, sometimes! Once in a great while something happens that can really only be attributed to right place, right time. Pure dumb luck. Who wuddathunkit?

Story: I have magnetic Grammar Goddess signs on the sides of my car. In a small way, I'm a moving billboard for my own firm, Grammar Goddess Communication. But in the eight or so years I've been advertising that way, no one has ever done anything more than to say, "What's a Grammar Goddess, anyway?"

Nothing ever turned into business.

But a month or so ago, I was over at the Ocean State Job Lot parking lot in Wareham. A man backed into a parking space and ended up facing my car. I could see him looking at my license plate (that's it on the left side), sounding it out. Then he smiled.

He came over to me, and as he did, he saw the signs. Huge grin. He wanted to know a little more about my company. I gave him two or three brochures, and we went on our merry way.

I had no reason to believe this encounter would be any different from others, but today he actually called and hired me to look over all the form letters his insurance agency uses! He is concerned not only about the grammar, but also about the formatting and tone of voice in them. Especially the tone of voice. He stressed that his agency is a family agency, and they consider every customer to be a part of the family. He needs that to come across in everything they do. Good for him!

And lucky for me.

So, what do you think? Luck? Hard work? Preparedness? I don't know for sure, but I'm thinking again: right place, right time. Pure, unadulterated luck. And I'll take it!

This topic came about because I heard this wonderful tune from My Fair Lady recently (and putting a video of a song here reminds me of an LI friend, Aly B. Moreno H., who has published some of the most-creative blog posts on LI you'll ever see and hear!):

website with your Human Resources or Training Manager. 

Are you a member of an association or other group that is looking for a speaker for one of its meetings? There are a lot of communication-based topics that could be perfect for a light-hearted and interesting presentation. 

I offer free generic Brush Up on Your Skills workbooks in a pdf format in American grammar, business writing, and interpersonal skills. They show what I teach in my three-hour corporate classes.

Want one? Let me know which one, and please send me your e-mail address.

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