Luck is for Losers

How important is luck in life?  I would say that it can be of significance.  But how significant, is the question.  Another question is can you affect your luck, or are you just at the mercy of life’s roulette wheel?  Let’s handle these questions separately shall we, YES WE SHALL!

Is luck important in life?  Yes, of course luck is important.  If you have ever had the sprinkler system in your apartment explode at midnight and dump thousands of gallons per minute on top of your bed, you would know luck is important.  It is especially so, if it happens twice in a 30 day period.  I digress.  Hurricanes, tornadoes, and bad girlfriends are also proof that luck is important.  However, is luck determinative?  I would say it rarely is.  There are some rare cases, but let’s put those aside.  If your financial plan is the lottery, you will be broke.  If your training plan for your weightlifting meet is that the other guy will not show up, you will lose.

Can you affect this roulette wheel of luck?  Of course you can.  Aside from the minuscule outliers, we are all in control (in this country) of our own destiny.  Hard work will beat the life out of luck any day.  As the cliché goes, the harder I work, the luckier I get.  When I work technique and strength, my snatch and clean and jerk go up.  Few people “rise to the occasion” (get lucky), but rather sink to their level of training.

Forget luck.  You can’t work on it, so why concern yourself with it anyway.  In weightlifting, I can always work on my technique, strength, and mobility.  I have a whole bunch of room for improvement in each.  Once my technique is world class, I can snatch 170 kg, and clean and jerk 200 kg, I might start concerning myself with luck.  Until then, back to the squat rack.

Having ADD is Lucky!