Luck

As those who read my first novel will remember my father defined luck as the intersection of opportunity and preparation. In other words, when an opportunity presents itself and you’re prepared to take advantage of the timing, many people will say you were lucky. When you’re not, and the opportunity passes you by they’ll regret that you were unlucky but what they really mean is you were unprepared.

Let’s then look at one of the many current “unpleasant” situations we as a country find ourselves enduring: the supply chain conundrum. Woe are we, we wail, hands in the air grasping at nothing. We won’t get our children’s Christmas gifts from China. Christmas just won’t be the same.

But wait, might this not be a stroke of good luck? What if we went to ETSY and purchased made in America products for Christmas. What if we used this as an opportunity to shun Chinese goods and buy back a little of that debt the government has run up allowing the Chinese government to buy U.S. Bonds and other financial instruments? What if we downsized a little on Christmas and instituted a new tradition of giving ourselves vice our money? What if we used this Christmas as an opportunity to teach the difference between wanting and needing?

In many cases the distinction between being lucky and unlucky is simply how you react to a situation. Be prepared, make the most of the opportunity and people will think you lucky and when you feel lucky you are because you understand that taking two steps to the side and looking at something as an opportunity rather than an obstacle can make all the difference.

So, no wailing this Christmas just a lot of wassailing which, by the way, costs little and doesn’t have to be imported.