Are you lucky?

[Dash man]

There's dumb luck that we have no control over. Then there's luck where preparation meets opportunity.
I've been fortunate with the latter, not so much with dumb luck.

 

[NW-Bound]

There's dumb luck that we have no control over. Then there's luck where preparation meets opportunity.
I've been fortunate with the latter, not so much with dumb luck.

Me neither. I guess I do not buy lottery tickets or go to LV to get dumb luck.

See, even so called dumb luck requires one to be proactive.

 

[Hermit]

I hit it lucky at the 4 wheeler kickoff meeting this last April. I won a door prize! The fact that there were more door prizes than participants so everyone won something is just a small side note. Unfortunately, I can't recall what it was I won, but I certainly remember winning it because I usually don't win anything at all.

 

[socca]

When I was 9 months old, I was rolling a Coke bottle around on the floor when it exploded, showering my face with broken glass. I easily could have been blinded, but instead merely received a deep two-inch-long gash on my cheek. Damn lucky in that case, I'd say!

 

[donheff]

I have always noticed that "sh*t falls into my bag," so to speak. A lot of that may come from personality but that's a matter of luck too.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Born and raised in the SF Bay Area. This allowed me to attend UC Berkeley while living at home. There was enough exposure to affluent relatives who were able to retire early to inspire me to do the same.

As far as I know, only my in laws and my grandmother worked until age 65.

So I was lucky in my place of birth and the influences of my family.

I always have felt I was very lucky in other ways. I was academically gifted, had the right mix of intelligence and common sense, and was really good looking in my younger years. I did not create that.

I'm not boasting when I say these things. I've met extraordinarily talented young people throughout my career, child artists, early readers, and "old souls", children with extraordinary maturity at a very young age. These kids are lucky, as I was. I remember witnessing a child naming letters on a poster in the exam room at our office with his very happy mom. He was in the office for his 18 month checkup.

I also have ducked major illness as well.

 

[travelover]

........ and was really good looking in my younger years. I did not create that.............

I think this "luck" can be easily overlooked. After my divorce, I dated a really beautiful woman for a time and was stunned at how doors opened up for her, just in everyday life, not to mention the big stuff. Like following Moses across the Red Sea.

 

[grasshopper]

Charmed or blessed is how I would describe my life. Being a good boy as a youngster, with a little dyslexia, enough that I was a terrible test taker, but excelled at math and numbers. So I didn't do well in school. Abundance just followed me around like a puppy, and I always choose to share what I had. Ms G. is just as amazed at our life as I am, here with nature our critters a still growing portfolio. Five years ago I was dx with prostate cancer, last week at the urologist, I was told not to come back for a year "what you have is not cancer" my PSA is now under 3.0. Who could ask for anything more.

 

[Music Lover]

I live in a free country.
My health is very good.
I have never been to war.
I didn't have to work a dangerous job and now live comfortably after retiring at 53.

I consider myself one of the luckiest people who has ever lived.

 

[kcowan]

There's dumb luck that we have no control over. Then there's luck where preparation meets opportunity...

Bingo and the bravery to notice and make the best choices.

I think this "luck" can be easily overlooked. After my divorce, I dated a really beautiful woman for a time and was stunned at how doors opened up for her, just in everyday life, not to mention the big stuff. Like following Moses across the Red Sea.

Apparently being tall and slim is good for a man. Good example of dumb luck...

 

[Bamaman]

Overall, I'd say yes, I am lucky. Lucky to be born in the US (well really being born in Texas was the lucky part) Lucky to find a career that I was good at and made my fortune. Lucky to have had good health (so far) and the list goes on....

However, I have no doubt that the luckiest day of my life was July 1, 1970 when I "won" the selective service lottery. (I can still remember watching it live on TV) At the time, I didn't think much about it since I was just happy with getting a high number. Later I realized that is was quite possibly a life or death decision point for me that was completely out of my hands and depended on the outcome of the luck of the draw.

I consider my self also lucky, as I came out #330 in the draft lottery. My father considered it the power of prayer--rather than just lucky. My brother in law wasn't so lucky and went straight to Parris Island upon getting out of college in the Marine Reserves (for 6 years.)

My unlucky buddies ended up spending their 20s in the National Guard, but that beats walking point in Vietnam.

As far as you being lucky you were born in Texas (and the U.S.), I'll agree. But don't forget that native Texans' families were originally from Tennessee--and that's where I was born and raised.

But any place that has chicken fried steak and Tex Mex is good enough for me.

 

[Car-Guy]

But any place that has chicken fried steak and Tex Mex is good enough for me.

Believe it or not, a couple of the big restaurants chains here in Texas have dropped Chicken Fried Steaks from their menus. I suspect the chain owners are vegans from "out of state".

 

[38Chevy454]

There's dumb luck that we have no control over. Then there's luck where preparation meets opportunity.
I've been fortunate with the latter, not so much with dumb luck.

X2, this is my feeling. There are many things we do everyday that help tilt the latter type in our favor. I don't view this as luck, but rather as a function of using your brain and work efforts.

 

[Music Lover]

There's dumb luck that we have no control over. Then there's luck where preparation meets opportunity.
I've been fortunate with the latter, not so much with dumb luck.

It's easy for some who don't do the prep work and/or screw up opportunities due to flawed thinking or a character flaw to think they got a bad break while others who are more successful seem "lucky".

I'm lucky for being born in a free country and having my health. But, there are a billion other people who can say the same thing. All the rest of the circumstances that allowed me to retire at 53 were due to choices I made along the way.

 

[W2R]

Back in 2000, I met Frank on an internet dating site.

Need I say more?

I guess that was a huge, once-in-a-lifetime type of extra lucky event.

 

[Sunset]

Have had both good and dreadful luck, but was raised to make the best of things, however they turned out.

Ditto.
Being optimistic and trying to turn all lemons into lemonade helps.

Was not born into the royal family
Born to a single teenager in a remote small town location (bad luck) , but given up for adoption (good luck).
Born too late to go to Vietnam, even though I was keen to do so (good dumb luck).

 

[harley]

"If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have no luck at all"

I'm sure it was a mistake, but you put in the wrong song.

 

[scrabbler1]

I have had my share of good luck. But I was able to combine that good luck with some important life decisions to parlay that into getting the good life I wanted.


A big example of that is combining the good luck of working for a company which had an ESOP whose share price grew by 3000% (yes, that is THOUSAND) in the 11 years I was in the plan. And in its early days, I had my peak annual earnings so I was allocated most of those shares at very low prices. Combine that with a lifestyle choice to be childfree and LBYM, and that was the formation of a plan to retire at 45 eight years ago.


I had many coworkers who had larger ESOP balances than I did. But most of them had spouses and/or children and/or other costly lifestyles which would have prevented them from ERing. And some coworkers just didn't want to retire early although a few did. And I had some other CF coworkers who didn't have my ESOP balance because they started working years after I did (they might have the ESOP balance now; some did and have ERed, I have learned).

 

[Mdlerth]

I am Joe Btfsplk

I must conclude that I am unlucky. Not in how good or bad luck applies to me, but in the sense of being a bad penny who brings bad luck to others.

Every business I have been in has gone down the cr*pper after I left it. My four siblings all grew up to be impoverished head cases, three of them with significant health problems. And don't get me started about the poor fortunes of every sports team I root for.

It must be some kind of curse that I spread, like a karmic Typhoid Mary. It can't possibly have been corporate mismanagement, smoking and drinking, or bad ownership/coaching that caused all those problems.

If only I knew how to focus my jinxing abilities, I could be a superhero! But probably not a popular one.

 

[Sunset]

I must conclude that I am unlucky. Not in how good or bad luck applies to me, but in the sense of being a bad penny who brings bad luck to others.

Every business I have been in has gone down the cr*pper after I left it. My four siblings all grew up to be impoverished head cases, three of them with significant health problems. And don't get me started about the poor fortunes of every sports team I root for.

It must be some kind of curse that I spread, like a karmic Typhoid Mary. It can't possibly have been corporate mismanagement, smoking and drinking, or bad ownership/coaching that caused all those problems.

If only I knew how to focus my jinxing abilities, I could be a superhero! But probably not a popular one.

Well, I hope you stop posting here soon........

 

[brett]

Yes. Lucky that I worked hard. Lucky that I realized an opportunity when it came along. Lucky I was willing to study and work my way through post secondary with no student loans or debt whatsoever.

Lucky I lived under my tax bracket and retired early.

Most of all lucky that I had great parents,live in a wonderful country,married well, have healthy, successful children, and I have excellent health.

 

[NW-Bound]

The OP asked "Are you lucky?"

Well, no one has played this well-worn video where Dirty Harry asked the same question.

PS. If you look closely, you will see a goof. As Harry walked up to the perp, the latter's shotgun was a couple of feet away. Then, at the close-up shot, it mysteriously came within a few inches of his hand.

 

[NW-Bound]

In the original Dirty Harry movie, Clint Eastwood said the exact same lines. The perp was not so lucky that time.

 

[TGL405]

Lucky-yes; Blessed-you bet. I think many folks on this site have been both lucky and blessed for the most part.
I also have an old dog that's pretty lucky. He's too old to travel the fields like he used to but he's had a good life. I guess you could say he's retired and livin' the dream-certainly not much stress in his life (as I look over at him sprawled out on the floor). He's not much worried about the budget OR the market; he's just always on the lookout for a crumb or a soft spot to lay down...
I guess I'm lucky to have him all these years.

 

[exnavynuke]

Overall, I'd say I've been pretty lucky in life.
I was lucky enough to be born into a good family who taught me values.
I was lucky enough to stumble into a good career field when I was young and unsure of what to do with my life.
I was lucky enough not to have any of my mistakes cause permanent harm that couldn't be overcome.
I was lucky enough to have even my bad luck have positive benefits (medical discharge from the Navy means I have to deal with crappy medical issues but I get a decent sized disability pay as a result).
I was lucky enough to find a civilian job that pays well enough that I can save a significant amount which will allow me to retire early.
I was lucky enough to see how dismal my financial future would be if I didn't change how I was living/spending at an early enough age (30) that changing my ways could still really matter.
I was lucky enough to eventually realize the differences between I "want" vs what I "need" vs "what society thinks I *should* want or need".

Most of this "luck" was the result of recognizing a "lucky" situation and taking advantage of it (hearing about a job I wanted that paid well right when I was looking for a job, being half-forced to think about finances seriously, etc), while some (like being born here to a good family) were just things that I got lucky with.