Luck and fulfillment

How much weight do you factor in the role of luck in your business and your life? Some people take the issue of luck so seriously that they have become superstitious over the years.

This is an old, funny story. Don’t take it seriously, but it does convey a lesson.

The nurse comes in and tells the first man, “Congratulations! You’re the father of twins!”

“What a coincidence!” the man exclaims. “I work for the Minnesota Twins baseball team!”

The nurse returns a short while later and tells the second man, “You are the father of triplets!”

 “Wow, what a coincidence!” he replies. “I work for the 3M Corporation!”

When the nurse comes again, she tells the third man his wife has given birth to quadruplets.

“Another coincidence! I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!”

At this point, the fourth guy faints. When he comes to, the others ask what’s wrong. “What’s wrong?” And the tense reply came: “I work for Seven-Eleven!”

Now here is another story from an anonymous source. The person says:

“We were listening to a lecture on psychic phenomena in our Comparative Religions course. Our instructor told us about a woman who contacted police working on a missing-persons case. “She gave eerily detailed instructions on where to find the body,” the teacher said. “In fact, the detectives did find the body just as she had described. Now what would you call that kind of person?”

While the rest of us pondered the question, a sheriff’s officer taking the course raised his hand and replied, “A suspect.”

Now that is being practical, isn’t it?

I have been in the business industry for a long while now and I still am. Right timing is important but I do not attribute it to luck and I sure am not superstitious about it.

I have never wished for luck in all my endeavors. I only pray that God would give me the wisdom to interpret and understand the times.

There is a personal reason why I consider wishing for luck as an unworthy thing.

The things I have worked for, the actions I do as a result from the lessons I have learned are infinitely more gratifying than just being “lucky.”

The work you have done, the money you have saved, and finally the amount you have managed to raise, you are now ready to purchase your first car. You know the feeling, you are proud of it and you appreciate it.

It is something that belongs to you practically and emotionally, therefore you value it and take care of it.

Contrast this with winning a car in a raffle draw or your rich father giving you one. You were happy because it was pretty cool, but apart from gratitude there is practically nothing more to feel about it.

Others put too much premium on luck such that they come to a point of being superstitious and fearful. They dare not do anything without the tools for their predisposition to fortune and luck and just hope the winds would bring them good fortune so that what they do would pay off.

I used to behave the same way. But now I have shifted my wish for wisdom, strength, patience and the perseverance to earn the things I desire for.

If I want to have the business, I would wish that I would know the ways to reach out to the client, understand what their needs are and then work feverishly to get the account.

If I want to have the life I desire not only for me, but more importantly for my kids, I would wish God would grant me the wisdom to guide every member of the family to do the right thing, pray for the energy and patient endurance to stick to the goal without being distracted and to achieve success.

This is why all through out the years, the journey to my goals’ destination have been many times more fulfilling than the destination itself.

And now that the fabled “Ghost Month” is here, do not use it as an excuse not to bring in the sales or business. I looked at my calendar, and this month, just like many other months that have gone by, was productive for me and my business.

Fran Lebowitz says something wonderful that made me laugh. He says “I’ve done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical wheIther you play or not.”

I myself have come to the conclusion that in all things, God is still sovereign and in control – not luck.

(Attend “Stand Out for Outstanding Performance” will be held on Sept. 9 at the Metro Tent inside Metro Walk along Ortigas Blvd. Be inspired and learn from speakers  Chinkee Tan, Bryan Kong and Karen Davila as they share principles on how to become great achievers. For further inquiries contact Inspire at 09158055910 or call 632-6310912 or 6310660 for details.)