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The concept of “luck” is quite awkward for some people and a good reason. We cannot attribute anything that makes it happen. Having “good luck” is a wish, something that we hope we have someday, but there is no cause or effect. Or is it?
Book premise
From the book:
William Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances.” We spend our lives playing many roles; acting out comedies, dramas, and tragedies. We dress up in our perceptions of truth and illusion and despite a lifelong relationship with learning our lines, we struggle to play our most important role—being ourselves.We refer to our life as a journey, quest, and adventure—on stage, it’s a portrayal, performance, and recital—I call it…our Blessing Path and over 16 Acts, I invite you back on stage to prepare for your biggest performance, with you as director and in the lead role.
We’re always portraying someone, and that’s expected. The world expects us to behave a certain way or do certain things in certain environments. I don’t think Francis J. Shaw is arguing against that. What I think he’s saying is that you need to be prepared for what comes your way. That is the way that you can be successful at whatever you put your mind into doing.
Why did I like it?
Francis J. Shaw writes about luck and what other minds thought it was. There’s a passage that I especially like that is from another person, but it fits how I think about luck:
“Luck is what you have left over after you give 100%” -Langston Coleman
I believe in hard work, and this book tells much of that, in other words. The world is full of chaos and randomness, and you can be “in the right place at the right time,” but that doesn’t mean you’ll be successful.
Think of the cases where people are “found.” They are great talents in music, dancing, etc., and one day, they are found by an agent, for example, that brings them to the public eye. People rush to say it was luck. It wasn’t. It was hundreds of hours of practicing your craft and putting yourself out there for people to find you. You can be the best piano player in the world, but if you only play at home alone, no one will ever “find” you.
