Recently I had an old college friend tell me I was “lucky.” I didn’t really know what that meant.  Was I? Am I? I don’t even know what luck really is.  What I do know is that I am always striving to learn and achieve greater in life and I am truly thankful for so many great opportunities that I have had (music, my job, co-founding a company, learning/enjoying html/css).  Is that what luck is?  After thinking about “luck” for a while, I came up with this little chart and a made-up phrase, “True Luck.”  I would argue that the moment in time in which an opportunity occurs could be considered “luck,” but without being prepared for that moment you may never have known that the opportunity was right in front of you, thus never feeling “lucky.”  If you are not prepared then you may never seize any opportunity. Therefore, I believe that being “lucky” isn’t about luck at all, and I am not alone.  After a quick google search I realized that people have shared my idea for centuries.  Here are some of the quotes that stood out about luck.

A Roman Philosopher once said exactly what I stated above,

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Thomas Jefferson also famously said,

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

This last quote is from an unknown author and I could not agree more.

“Your luck is how you treat people”

Luck will happen regardless, being lucky won’t.  So then what is “True Luck?” Besides a made up phrase, I believe it is the point when you have more opportunities than choices and your path then lies in your own hands.  How do you start preparing for what you might not even know exists?  Read stuff that interests you, write things you want to remember, and answer people’s questions when they ask for help.  You will slowly begin to see the path and opportunities you didn’t know existed.