Luck maker 4: Turn roadblocks into stepping stones
When the recession hit in 1990, Margaret and John worked six days a week, cut staff hours and let a manager go. The following spring, the main street in front of their store closed for more than six months for service and repairs. Big-box home-renovation and supply stores arrived in the city nearby.
"Those were threatening, frightening experiences," admits Margaret. "We didn't have deep pockets, so we decided that when you came to our store, you got service. We bent over backward and that's what made it such a special place. That's how we endured the obstacles." No wonder Paul Straus, vice-president and chief executive officer of Home Hardware Stores Limited, calls the Petties' business "a very, very successful dealership."
Recently retired, Margaret and John can see Lake Huron from their front door and begin every morning with a 12-kilometre walk with their dogs. "We worked so damn hard and it feels like we got our reward. I know it's not luck, but man, we are so lucky!" exclaims Margaret.
Similarly, RoAne herself, when laid off along with 1,200 other teachers in San Francisco in 1979, didn't waste much time lamenting her misfortune. Instead, she designed a career-change workshop for teachers. The business editor of the San Francisco Examiner caught the last 15 minutes of her radio interview about career change issues and called to ask her to write a weekly column. Although she felt unqualified, RoAne said yes. She wrote a column for over three years and went on to become a bestselling author.
Luck maker 5: Persevere
Sometimes events in our lives are neither expected nor planned, and they may contain a measure of pain, but those who create their own luck simply stick with it. All of the examples I've shown -- Marta, Margaret, RoAne and my mother -- illustrate that not giving up, keeping your eye on the future and looking for ways to minimize and even capitalize on the damage are all key strategies in creating luck. Marta, for example, could have been overwhelmed by the big picture. But in taking it one day at a time she not only built a life that was safe for herself and her child but also one with meaning, joy and dreams fulfilled. "Never, never give up," is her passionate advice. "If you never give up, you can move forward one baby step at a time."
Luck maker 6: See the silver lining
My mother remembers clearly when Volendam, the ship she and her family boarded in Amsterdam, landed in Halifax. The nine-day journey had been rough, with storms, rough seas, overcrowding and illness. Yet my mother was filled with excitement at the prospect of discovering a new land. In spite of the dark night, lights shone from houses near the harbour, and my mother saw them as welcoming.
Without that spirit of optimism, how can you be willing to take risks, stay with your goals for the long haul and keep up the confidence it takes to see the opportunity in any situation, even a setback?
If you've been looking through clouds, seeing a silver lining means you've spotted the potential for luck. And as for this year, don't just wonder what might be waiting around the corner. Go and find out.
*Name has been changed.
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