Some people, who are more blessed than most, habitually complain about their bad luck whenever they experience the slightest disappointment. When things go well for such people, they attribute their good fortune to their hard work and ability--not to good luck.  But when things turn sour, they see themselves as the victims of bad luck.  Other people, who seem to have had more than their fair share of troubles, count their blessings and consider themselves fortunate to be as well off as they are.

The concept of luck is more a matter of perception than one of reality. Sometimes what we consider luck is more the result of our own actions or inactions than pure chance, and there is much we can do to influence what happens to us in life.  Many things, however, are truly beyond our control, and at times we become the victims of misfortunes that seem to be due to pure chance, such as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. When this happens, there is little we can do but accept the misfortune and get on with our lives.  Complaining about our bad luck will do nothing to reverse our misfortune.    

We all have both good and bad luck during our lives, although some of us may feel that we receive less than our fair share of good luck relative to others. The important thing is to do everything in our power to create a positive future for ourselves.  We don't want to leave anything to chance if there is something we can do to influence the odds. Once we have done this, we must somehow find the strength to deal with the disappointments that will inevitably come to all of us.  Some things are beyond our control, and we must learn to accept this basic fact of life. 

Attitude plays an enormous role in our perception of how well we fare in life.  Those of us who focus heavily on the positive aspects of our lives will consider ourselves much luckier than those who focus mostly on the negative side of things. Those of us who can accept the fact that  we are fortunate because we live in a free country, have adequate food and shelter, have friends and family, and whatever else we might have, will truly become fortunate individuals no matter how little we may have in the way of material possessions and status in life.  The old German proverb is so true . "There is no one luckier than he who thinks himself so."  Likewise, no matter how much we have or how high our station in life, if we believe that we are unlucky then we are doomed to be both unlucky and unhappy. Think about it.

Copyright 2014 Allen W. Smith

TB-101—Posted 07/01/2014

NOTE:  Please feel free to download these essays and reproduce them for others.  If a particular essay seems to be especially helpful to you, please pass it on to as many people as possible.  Thank you!