Don't Mistake Luck for Hard Work

I hear this a lot of times where someone says, successful people are lucky. Or they see someone with a nice house with a pool and also say they are lucky. I’m here to tell you that luck had nothing to do with it. The people who are successful work hard for where they are. I know I’ve used this quote before but it’s good enough to be said again. The Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” The preparation is the hard work that you have to put in. The opportunity is putting yourself in the right position. I am going to create my own luck with being a motivational speaker. As I have said in previous posts, I’ve been reading, watching, and listening to many self help/motivation books, vidoes, and podcasts. I have to say, I’ve learned a lot from them. It has helped me devise a plan to get to my end goal. I’m not ashamed to lay out my plan for you. It’s not going to be a secret. I hope some of you can follow my path and make a success for yourselves. My first step is this blog. The more I write and post the better I become at coming up with material for my engagements. My writing skills will increase. I will also need to build a story and shape my narrative around it. I’m still working on that. Second, I will read other peoples blogs and comment on their posts. I will try to get to know them and become a part of their community. Then eventually when I think the timing is right I will ask to be a guest blogger to post on their blog. If they let me they will also link back to my blog and maybe some of their readers will become my audience as well. Third, I will start practicing my public speaking by posting unedited YouTube videos and podcasts. I want the world to see my progress with becoming a confident public speaker. I will look for feedback on how to improve. Fourth, I will give free public speaking engagements. I will contact churches, clubs, wherever a group of people gather and practice my craft with them. Don’t worry I will eventually get good enough to charge for my engagements. Finally, and this is where I will place myself in position for opportunity. I will go to conferences, public speaking events, business organizations, and just about anything where I can make connections and talk about wanting to be a motivational speaker. Eventually someone will give me the opportunity to speak. With some luck I’ll land some book deals. Which brings me back to the preparation of writing for this blog. By then I’ll have my thoughts organized, my writing skills mastered, and my story developed. So there you have it! I went from preparation to opportunity. I hope that whatever you do in life you can take similar steps and create your own luck with hard work and perseverance. Create your own luck!