Lucky Alberto
Alberto is a regular on the countertop at the Las Palmas Bar and Grille. He arrives early and can always be seen standing atop the corner of the bar, resting on the one leg he has left, taking in the conversation of those bellied up to get a drink. Alberto seems engaged in what is going on, his head tilting as the conversation rises and falls; but Alberto doesn’t add much to the ongoing banter. No one seems to know how long he has been a daily participant, but it has been longer than anyone can recall. There are various theories about how he lost his leg, but it is a mystery, and Alberto isn’t saying. In fact, Alberto doesn’t do much beyond eating three or four cherries, and watching the characters that make up this beach bar, come and go. It seems like a fine life for a bird.
As I watch Alberto, I am struck by a recurring thought, he is a lucky bird. At some point in his past, tragedy struck, and he was faced with a life without a leg. He is probably fortunate to survive the event, and equally fortunate to have found a way to thrive amid the rough and tumbled world of the ever-present flock of angry black birds.
I find it fascinating to think about the notion of luck. We all seek it, and yet, there are successful people who scoff at the suggestion that luck has anything to do with their success. I once had a prominent leader tell me to never admit any success, I achieved, was a result of being lucky. I find that advice to be ridiculous. It is inconceivable that someone who lives in a world where randomness is a driving force, could go through life without good or bad luck. I know the argument; that we make our own luck through hard work. It is a common refrain and almost a throwaway line you hear when a company, person, or team have something good happen. It makes the story more impressive and admirable if you attribute the outcome exclusively to hard work.
Making the assumption you can create your own luck also impacts you when you are beginning something new; if you subscribe to the belief, you can generate luck by outworking everyone else, it is much easier to develop a plan without having to project the variability of good or bad luck into your vision. I understand, on an individual level, why it is comforting to want to believe you have total control over everything that impacts your life. Without that sense of control, you can be left with fear of the unknown and that is scary. To avoid the possibility of fear, it becomes easier to assume if you work hard and ignore the ebbs and flows that are inevitable, you can move forward and succeed in any future endeavor. The alternative is uncertainty, and projecting luck—good or bad---is the pinnacle of the unknown, and that can stop someone from proceeding. The imagination can overwhelm you and create an inability to act. I remember being told the worst entrepreneurs are MBA students. The thesis was that in their graduate studies they are drilled to analyze and pushed to find the right answer, when the truth is, being an entrepreneur is a master class in not having answers and seeking the best path forward, not the right answer.
It would be nice to believe we are able to work hard enough to achieve a place where we only experience luck that makes things better. It would be nice, but it is a fantasy. The world is full of people who work hard every day and are stuck in a cycle of despair and misfortune. It is sadly the way of the world. Hard work isn’t the only answer. We all need luck to go our way; no amount of hard work ensures a person will suddenly and always be on the right side of karma.
On the other hand, I do believe hard work allows a person, at times, to take advantage of good luck. If you are ready when your chance comes along, good luck can provide outsized benefits. Professional poker players have lucky hands, but the successful ones work very hard to make a career playing cards without the need for luck. Said differently, there isn’t a free ride with luck. Funny thing, the opposite of good luck is bad luck and thus a healthy dose of bad is never far away; even for someone who is on a lucky streak.
I guess I believe luck, good and bad, is a part of life that we can’t escape. To reject its impact on our lives is silly. For a businessperson to deny there are forces that are outside their control is a recipe for a disaster. If you believe, in your heart of hearts, that somehow your skill, or work ethic, or golden touch, will always offer you the best of luck, the odds of a nasty reversion to the mean are high.
In my experience I have learned to trust those who have a perspective that includes them citing luck in what they have accomplished. It is more honest, and humbler; it is also more accurate.
As I watched Alberto, I began to reflect on another side of luck; the sentiment that being lucky is a nod to gratitude. I am drawn to people who say how lucky they are, or they are the luckiest person alive. At times these people don’t have what others would consider the standard for financial success; they aren’t rich. And yet, they practice honest gratitude in their life.
Studies have shown being grateful for what you have and expressing your gratitude makes you happier; and that makes sense. If you are at peace with your life and willing to share that you feel lucky you are bound to feel joy. Think about it, we all want to feel lucky, so why can’t we accept how lucky we are?
I am actively engaged in capturing a new level of gratitude and an acknowledgement of how lucky I am to have the life I have, and to have lived the life I have lived. When I got married thirty-five years ago, I had simple goals; I wanted to have kids and I wanted to pay for their college without them being saddled with debt, I wanted to do well enough that my wife, if she chose to, could stay home and focus on the kids, and I wanted build a life for my kids that was better than mine. That is all I wanted. And you know what; I did it, and I feel lucky. Admittedly, it has taken me a long time to reconnect with that early focus and to allow myself to feel like a lucky man, but the outcome and peace that I feel makes up for lost time.
You could argue Alberto is a very unlucky bird. You could also argue he is the luckiest bird on the southern shore of Puerto Rico. I couldn’t get a quote from him for this column, but his demeanor suggests he is grateful for his friends, their support, and the life he lives in paradise. What a lucky bird.
