Luck is the residue of design

“Things worthwhile generally don’t just happen. Luck is a fact, but should not be a factor. Good luck is what is left over after intelligence and effort have combined at their best. Negligence or indifference are usually reviewed from an unlucky seat. The law of cause and effect and causality both work the same with inexorable exactitudes. Luck is the residue of design.” - Branch Rickey

I think I may have pontificated about luck as a concept in a previous post but as I cannot actually remember everything I have written I guess I might be writing about this again, however this time will be much better, by design :) 

I was reading an article about the first World Series American Rounders game this week between the Astros and the Dodgers when the quote "Luck is the residue of design" was used and I thought, yeah, that makes sense to me. I am not someone who believes so much in luck as in putting yourself in the right place at the right time, and this counts professionally and personally as much as it does it sports.

You got to put it out there if you want it to happen, which also means sometimes you are going to put it out there and nothing will happen. It's the old "you miss 100% of the shots you do not take" logic which can also extend to missing 100% of the shots you do take, but if you don't take the shots then what chance do you have.

My current job was realized based on me reaching out to try and sell to them, then a conversation started where I said I would be an idiot not to talk to them about the opportunity at hand. I was putting it out there. Today I got notice that a local school of about 1500 kids were going to allow myself and some other coaches to come in as guest speakers to talk about rugby, the game and the culture. Only happened because I was at the school picking up my daughter and went to quickly talk to the Principal (who had played rugby - didn't know that till I spoke to him). I put it out there. I knew that other local clubs had been to some local schools to coach, I knew that I could get some help from them and I know that rugby has a story to tell. Worst thing about it is that the school is not exactly in the area that I coach so I might end up helping other clubs grow the game, guess there could be a lot worse things than that :)

One needs to design a professional path and persona to create your own luck, putting yourself in a position to advance. Some believe it is about kismet or karma, but more often than not people who seem to receive good karma are the people that put themselves in a position to receive it. You don't have to walk around always with your eyes up looking for opportunity, but you do need to walk around with your eyes up.

I am lucky to have my loving family, I am lucky to have my incredible children, I am lucky to have my amazing friends, I am lucky to have someone that likes hanging out with me, I am lucky to have my interesting job, I am lucky that I am able to occasionally write something here that means something and I am lucky to have my wonderful life. Sure it could be better but sure as hell it could be a whole lot worse. I have created my situation with my own design, whether consciously or not, whether correctly or incorrectly, whether there is someone up there helping me on this path or whether there is not. I will keep putting it out there in my own way, I will continue to miss a whole lot of shots but every now and then one will go through the posts and that is all I need to keep on keeping on. 

My luck in life is the residue off all the things I have done before and all the things I am yet to do and there is a lot more luck to come.


Work hard, play hard and earn your inspiration


Happy Poets Day