What’s the dirtiest four-letter word that ends in –U-C-K?

No, it’s not the queen mother of all curse words.

Some people get all in a tizzy about the F-bomb, but if you’re interested in creating a Very Cool Life, “luck” is a far dirtier word (and much less fun to say).

To explain why, let’s begin by examining the common definition of luck. Luck is defined as a “Force that brings either good fortune or adversity…” (Webster’s).

While this definition is thin at best, the more I researched, the more I found the alternative definitions to be just as sparse.

There’s no real definition for luck. In fact, luck might just as well be defined as the catch-all category for everything that happens in life that 1) seems hard to explain, 2) seems even harder to take responsibility for, and 3) (because of numbers 1 & 2), is easier not to think about too deeply.

The current definition of luck is so weak that it leads to more questions than answers.

Here’s a few that immediately come to mind:

What is the nature of this Force that holds the power to bring joy and misery?

Where does this Force originate?

Are there rules to how this Force operates?

Can we control this Force? Or is this Force running the game, haphazardly tossing favorable and unfavorable experiences in our lives for Its own amusement?

None of these questions are addressed by the definition. My guess is this is because few people bother to ask these questions.

Why?

 

Because it’s easier to believe in luck than to see yourself as the creator of all you experience.

 

I don’t know the percentages, but I would wager that if you asked most people if they believe in luck, the majority would say they do. Fair enough.

However, ask them why they believe in luck, and I’ll bet (my house) that they do not have a clear reply that holds any logic. When pressed, most people hedge and say that sometimes the force of luck is at work in their lives.

Ask them to explain how/why/when those outside forces take control over lives versus the times when those forces do not apply, and you should not to expect to receive a satisfactory explanation.

Most people believe in luck simply because most people believe in luck. But here’s why thinking deeper about the concept of luck is worth your while…

In short, if you believe in luck, you’re really f@#king yourself.

To make my point, I’ll rest on the broader intellectual shoulders of my friend Einstein, for a moment.

Here’s my favorite Einstein quote –

 

 “I am convinced that He [God] does not throw dice.”

 

And what does this mean? I’ll let Albert field this question, too.

“If we decide that ….God is essentially ‘playing dice with the universe,’ then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning.”

In other words, if you accept the idea that luck exists – that within the Universe there exists a mysterious, random, unexplained Force that holds the power to influence your life – at some level you’re choosing to be someone that life happens to. You’re choosing to live as a victim of the Fates.

With this in mind, let me put this simple question to you…

 

Do you believe in luck?

 

Now, before answering, let’s agree that the only possible answers are “Yes” or “No.”

No hedging.

Because it’s the hedging that makes luck such an insidious concept. Consider this. Few people move through life really believing that the Lady Luck is pulling all the strings.

This is especially true when we experience some kind of success. Most folks have little trouble taking credit for the good things that occur in their lives.

No, it’s not until something doesn’t go as planned that people start fishing around in their back pocket for that trump card called Bad Luck to lay down as a form of self defense. Why take responsibility for unwanted outcomes when Luck can take the fall instead?

And this is the crux if the issue: A belief in luck serves as the scapegoat that keeps you from having to ask yourself the uncomfortable (yet illuminating) question you can ask yourself…

Why?

As in, why did I get sick? Why am I struggling with my money? Why are my relationships filled with conflict? Why does my work feel so unsatisfying? Why do I feel like I’ve lost my zest for creating cool things in my life?

If you believe in luck, you never have to look inside. There’s always someone or something else to blame. You can blame your genetics, your government, your significant other, or your boss. And if you cannot pin the blame on a specific source, there’s always the failsafe patsy, Bad Luck.

Believing in luck indicates that you’re not willing to fully own your life. Believing in luck means that you are willing to live by default, to passively watch the game from the sidelines instead of getting dirty and playing on the field. To my way of thinking, this is what makes luck more offensive than any curse word.

Most people do not reject the concept of luck because the alternative requires you to take 100% responsibility for your life (what I call “Radical Responsibility.”)

By rejecting luck and embracing yourself as the sole creator of all you experience, you step into your rightful role of Master once again; you choose to live as the powerful being whose every creation is a perfect reflection of one’s Free Will decisions.

When you make the connection that your experiences are not happenstance, but rather a perfect reflection of the dominant thoughts you have been thinking, two things happen.

First, when things do not go your way, you begin to ask WHY rather than reflexively drop the blame elsewhere.

Second (and most important), you begin looking for the solutions in the only place they exist – within yourself.

Luck is victimhood. Bondage. Stagnation.

Radical Responsibility is freedom. Liberation. Unlimited possibility.

Upgrade your life…

F*&^ luck.

 

 

***

Now’s a good time to get coached privately by Drew. Learn how here.