Talking Career by Bert van Walbeek: Making your own luck

In a regular column for TravelMole, Bert van Walbeek offers insights and invaluable advice for getting ahead in the hospitality industry.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" – Seneca (4 BC – 65 AD)  a Roman philosopher, statesman, dramatist and a tutor to emperor Nero.

A few weeks ago I was asked during an MBA lecture if luck is also one of the ‘basic keys to success’ and a discussion began about whether students can make their own luck.

We soon agreed that in the present world marked by rising stress, but also with higher than ever expectations, most of us could use a little luck — at our companies, in our careers, with our investments.

I mentioned that we are usually taught to be really focused, to be really driven, to try really hard at tasks but that also makes people often quite inflexible because  ‘going strong’ in one direction often makes people fail to spot other opportunities. But in the real world, you’ve got opportunities all around you.

Being relaxed and open allows lucky people to see what’s around them and to make the most of the good fortunes which destiny, or fate, might put in their way, but only skills can turn luck into success. People say "I met my spouse by chance" or " I’m in this particular career because I just happened to work for a fantastic boss."

Unlucky people say "I go to a party because I want to meet the love of my life" and have a terrible evening if that doesn’t happen, which is normally the case! Lucky people end up meeting people who might become close friends or people who might help them in their careers.

Unlucky people say "I can’t believe I’ve been in another car accident." Lucky people observe ,"Yes, I had a car accident, but I wasn’t hurt, or even worse killed." I argued with the students that we have far more influence over events than we assume, and that the familiar thinking of many people that "50% of my life is due to chance events" is not accurate.

Perhaps 10% is, but the other 40% that people believe having no influence over is actually defined by the way they contemplate the daily ‘ incidents’ which might trigger luck if they act upon them. I told the students to surf the Internet and discover that research on personality attributes reveal time and time again that unlucky people are generally much more tense than lucky people because anxiety disrupts people’s ability to notice the unexpected.

Unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else.  Lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for.

I told them that I am convinced that making career depends on 4 basic principles:

1.  Notice chance opportunities and then take action
2.  Take more decisions by listening to personal intuitions
3.  See the future via positive enthusiasm
4.  Adopt a durable attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

Stop taking the same route to and from work, talk to people you don’t know at events, have lunch with different colleagues, compete in sport with more skilful players and soon you will realise that future outcomes combine skill and luck.

Lucky people are skilled at generating and then do something with chance opportunities, by always working on their network, having a relaxed attitude and most of all by being open to new experiences.

Lucky people are certain that the future will be bright, know how to cope with the ‘bad luck’ which comes their way by instinctively imagineering how things could have been worse.
The bottom line: to have a winning career, don’t dwell on the ill fortune, always prepare yourself to get that unexpected opportunity to meet ‘lady luck’ in her many disguises. Then take control of the situation and never give up since ‘she’ will simply not run after you.

More from Bert at The Winning Edge