Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favors only the prepared mind."
Some people seem to be born to recognize opportunities long before anyone else even blinks (e.g., Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison). Many people pass by opportunity even when it hits them in the face. Opportunity is frequently driven by the phenomenon known as 'luck'.
I really dislike the word 'luck'. It's a cop out for trying to figure out what, exactly, happened. How did I end up in this? It must be luck - as if luck was some kind of magical force. At the risk of making this blog entry a rant about luck, I will shift the focus somewhat to simply say that all of us will experience this thing, luck, at some point in our life - many times. If not today, it could happen tomorrow.
What are you doing about it?
This question should elicit a question from you - usually, "What can you do about it?" If it's a good luck situation, then you should take advantage of it before anyone else does. If it's a bad luck situation, then you should have an exit strategy. Either way, both of these scenarios will require you to be prepared to act, to have a prepared mind.
The prepared mind has two qualities. First, it isn't distracted. This means you should give yourself a chance to focus and be observant. Inevitably this means less day-dreaming, less obsessing, less TV, and less <any activity that requires whole commitment, no interaction, and is a time vampire>. Second, embrace diversity. This is an overused term that usually doesn't come with anything more than a "because it's good for us". I'm not suggesting that you like whatever form of diversity you experience, but rather you should at least experience life from a different perspective.
Regarding diversity, try a simple experiment: Get a ladder out and put it inside your home. Go up the ladder a few feet off the floor. Now imagine yourself walking through your home trying to go about your day. All of the sudden, a new world is opened up within your existing world - going through doorways is difficult, leaning underneath the sink is difficult, seeing just how dusty the top of the refrigerator is... is disturbing, seeing all of the dust up high is disturbing, try taking a shower, try fitting in the bathtub, etc. You've forced yourself into a new, diverse world and you're instantly seeing challenges.
By minimizing distractions and embracing diversity, you will be able to recognize new challenges, opportunities, and solutions much faster and much more effectively. The next time luck - good or bad - hits, you will be able to instantly evaluate much more than you could before. Why? Because you've prepared your mind. And, most importantly, your intuition will be more attune to your needs because of this.
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