Do you believe in luck, or do you believe that people make their own?
When I was in Chicago I happened to make friends with the guys at Real Social Dynamics. The timing happened to be such that they were about to rent Project Hollywood with Mystery and Style, and needed an extra roommate. I happened to have the money, if only barely, to afford to move. I did it, and became a famous pick up artist.
On my path to becoming a professional gambler, I started with bankroll of $1000, all my money in the world, and at one point was down to $77. If that had been lost, I probably would have been done with gambling. We hit a streak and ran that up to $10,000, which we split two ways. From there I took it further and made a lot of money gambling for seven years.
There are a few common comments I hear, usually secondhand, made about me. Most of them have to do with how lucky I am.
“I’m not lucky like you are.”
And let’s face it,I am lucky. If you were to go through the list of amazing experiences I’ve had, few or none of them can be chalked up to pure accomplishment. Luck has always played a role.
I thought about this when I was being interviewed for a newspaper in Kentucky. The reporter asked really good questions, one of which was whether or not I felt like I was more lucky than other people.
I might be, but I don’t think that’s the deciding factor in my success.
I’m convinced that it’s my inclination, or more appropriately, my overwhelming need to take any and all good opportunities that come my way. Everyone gets roughly the same amount of opportunities in their lives, but most people don’t take any of them. It’s like winning the lottery, throwing away the ticket, and then complaining that you’re poor.
I wasn’t the only one who could have moved into Project Hollywood. The room was offered to at least 100 people before me. Was I REALLY the most ABLE to move in? Not at all. I just bought a house, on which I still had to pay my mortgage, and spent the last $8k I had on my deposit, first, and last. I just didn’t listen to that little voice that tries to come up with a thousand little reasons not to do something new.
With gambling I could have easily thought it was too good to be true, and never gone farther. I can’t tell you how many people I taught, step by step, how to do it. None of them stuck with it.
I cashed in my lottery tickets. We only get a certain amount of huge ones, and when one passes it often passes forever.
So the next time you’re faced with a tough decision, or an option that seems too good to be true, ask yourself if you’re about to pass up on one of your opportunities to be lucky.
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