Lean Quote: Luck Is When Preparation Meets Opportunity

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you're prepared for it."   —  Denzel Washington

It’s often said that some people get lucky in life or just by sheer good luck they land at the right place at the right time. However, just being lucky won’t help you succeed in life. Luck is nothing but being prepared when opportunities knock at your door.

The difference between lucky and unlucky people, we've seen before, is all in our perspective. Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles.

1. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities – Having long term goals will help you to identify good opportunities when they arise! There are multiple steps to achieving goals, the right opportunity can help propel you down that path!

2. They make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition – If it seems to good to be true, it usually is. Most “get rich quick” schemes are just that…schemes. With great reward, comes great effort.

3. They create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations – Be realistic about opportunities. Don’t expect one opportunity to change your life. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

4. They adopt a resilient attitude that transforms “bad” luck into good – Having a positive outlook and perspective can be the one thing that changes your life the most! Try to find the silver lining in all situations, even when they don’t go your way. Always remember, if it’s meant to be, it will!

So next time you hear — luck is when preparation meets opportunity — just remind yourself, it is not all that simple. And smile.