Do you want to be lucky?

You can’t write a St Paddy’s Day email and not talk about the luck of the Irish right?

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”

So let’s talk about LUCK! Are you lucky?

Do you want to be lucky?

We often think luck is out of our control but based on that definition, it’s more in our control than we may realize.

We often use the word lucky to take away from others’ accomplishments.

I do this myself!

I work in sales, and often find myself saying the only reason someone else closed a big deal was because they got lucky.

Let’s talk about why that’s true, but also a good thing for you and me.

Let’s talk about how luck should actually be your financial strategy!

Preparation

The first part of the definition is that if we want to be lucky, we need to be prepared.

Imagine you want to get lucky and pay off all your debt.

Well, the first step is preparing for that luck to happen. What would that preparation look like?

• Making a budget

• Building a debt pay-off strategy

• Eliminating bad spending behaviors

• Learning discipline and financial literacy

And so on…

Your favorite actor, athlete, or musician didn’t just wake up with that level of talent. They had to put in consistent daily actions to get there.

I don’t think I need to sell you much on preparation. I think we all understand that in order to get where we want in life, we need to put in the work.

My point in telling you this is that, when it comes to getting lucky, this is stuff happening behind the scenes.

Every. Single. Time.

You already prepare for misfortune.

For example, you go on a picnic and prepare for rain. You ride your bike somewhere, you prepare for a flat tire.

Prepare for good fortune.

Maybe that means keeping resumes in your car, and taking online classes for the next role you want in your career.

Opportunity

Now this is the part I might need to sell you on.

Often we think opportunities are something that need to show up on our doorstep.

And maybe sometimes it will. But more often than not, it won’t.

You need to create your own opportunities. That starts with first accepting and believing that opportunities exist.

What you think about comes about and what you focus on grows. (sit on that for a moment)

Going back to the debt example.

Imagine you only have enough money to pay all the minimums on your debt. Nothing more.

You could accept that as reality. Or! You could focus energy on how to make more money so that you don’t have to pay just the minimum.

But Dan! I have kids, I have other commitments, I have [insert excuse here].

If you spend 10 minutes every day for the next year trying to figure out how you can increase your income in a way that works with your current lifestyle, what do you think the end result is?

Depending on your answer, you’re either an opportunity finder or an opportunity blocker.

Train your mind to expect and recognize opportunities.

I promise, if you do this, unsurprisingly enough, you will find more opportunities.

And you’ll make better use of them! You’ve probably missed a few of them because you had your eyes closed.

Call to Action

One of my good friend’s told me he feels fired up after reading my emails and then doesn’t know what to do afterward.

Here’s your simple call to action for the week.

1. Write down all the “luck” you want to bring into your life - be specific!

2. Under each “luck” item, write down 3-5 things that you can do right now to prepare for this luck.

3. Beside each preparation, list potential opportunities where your preparation could pay off. Think about where you need to show up.

4. Schedule one action step from the list this week! Move!

One of the best ways to create financial luck is by making a budget! Here’s my favorite budgeting app - Monarch Money