Do you believe in luck? I presume many of you do. We have a huge problem with the idea of luck nowadays – we’ve pathologized it to the point that it stands in the way of our accomplishments. It literally stands in the way of us living in a more real and successful life. Here is why that happens.

The problem with the idea of luck is that people give it supernatural power over their life. I believe this is the result of rampant secularism, because when you stop believing in the divine order of the universe, you begin to believe in all kinds of BS, and you tend to become superstitious. And when you become superstitious, you’re prone to believe in external forces having influence over your life, such as some sort of supernatural luck.

There are a couple major problems that stem from such a world view.

Problem #1: A pathological view of luck presumes that God or the universe are not just

Think about it: if you believe that there is some arbitrary supernatural force (luck) which is in control of your well-being, then it means you rule out the possibility for a world which is set in a way that is just and fair. But our traditional worldview holds that God created the world in a way that is ultimately just – a world where there are no whimsical, supernatural forces that can direct its course. No black cats, walking under ladders, throwing salt over your shoulder and so on. None of this is considered to be of any effect.

But even if you don’t tend to be particularly religious, here’s some satisfying evidence for the more scientifically inclined: Albert Einstein himself believed that we inhabit an orderly and harmonious universe. He saw our universe a perfectly tuned space that works according to reliable and predictable laws, but he thought it might have easily been a much more hectic and chaotic place, unfit for habitation; at least not in the way we understand it.

The bad thing that happens when you don’t believe that the universe doesn’t arbitrarily favor one versus another, is that you start having counterproductive thoughts, like “bad things always happen to me”, or “good things never happen to me”. Or, “knowing my luck, I’d never win”. I hope you can easily see how damaging such beliefs can be when internalized. The problem with this is that if you believe it, then you subconsciously start acting it out, and this influences the outcomes you get in life.

Problem #2: Belief in luck can make you feel envious

Why envious? Because if you believe the universe favors one over the other, then you might think: “Look at him – he’s so lucky to have this.” Or “Well, she won because she got lucky!” Luck becomes a convenient way to excuse our own failures or to explain others’ successes.

The other reason why this happens is because we aren’t there when other people overcome their own struggles before they eventually reach success. We only see the result of the process – the surface level things, like the big house or the fast car. But we weren’t there when all the rejection and sleepless nights and early morning wake-ups took place.

The stories of J. K. Rowling or Sylvester Stallone are perfect examples of that. Rowling had to go through 12 rejections of the Harry Potter manuscript before being given a chance, and Stallone had to sell his dog for a bit of cash so he could stay afloat until he managed to sell the script for Rocky. Both had to go through these pains amid serious financial struggles. But if you don’t know all that or if you don’t care, and you only focus on the successes, the mansions, and the millions of dollars, you might as well think they just got lucky. And this is bad, because it gives you the wrong ideas for how to become successful in life.

The solution: Belief that your life is entirely in your hands

So the antidote to this patholagized view that there are external forces, like luck, which have control over our lives, is to simply believe that the outcome of your life is entirely in your own hands. In other words, you have to take personal responsibility for your life.

Thomas Jefferson said “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” In that I believe hides the key to success and minimizing your reliance on external forces. When you start believing that it’s all up to you, you simply get to work, because the more circumstances you foresee and address, the less factors outside your control remain that could lead to a bad outcome.

The philosophy of stoicism was based on the idea that one is to be concerned only with those things in life they have control over — and if you don’t have control over something – you’re to simply not worry about it!

This focus on the controllable factors is extremely healthy in business and life, because it emphasizes your strength – the power you have to shape the surrounding world, and that’s what’s ultimately important. 1) Because you reduce the time and energy wasted on thinking about factors outside your control, and 2) because you become more aware of the extent to which you’re capable of influencing the circumstances.

Saying “To hell with luck! I’m going to do everything I can to increase my chances of a positive outcome!” is the energetic, the active worldview that leads to bigger productivity and impact.

And when you begin playing this game, focusing on the things you can control, life becomes way more satisfying. And so, to increase your chances and reduce your risks – you need to be everywhere all the time, and be prepared to take care of all sorts of things – so you need a great system for impact, the right approach to productivity, and this is something I can help you with.

Click here to book a FREE 15-min consulting call, so we can discuss all the ways performance coaching can help you reach your goals fast. Or, you can also book a deep-dive 60-min performance coaching call and work with me so I can help you explore your productivity and become an execution powerhouse!