PREPARATION FOR OPPORTUNITY
Tuesday Sept. 30, 2014
Lessons come.
In mirrors, on our pillow – or trudging through muck.
Less so on those days we close big deals, land new clients.
Or when we find a $20 in an old pocket …
Lessons arrive in an instant. When least expected, seeds we planted long ago prove they grew. When least expected, actions long ago forgotten – basis for someone taking an action, calling us on the phone or, better yet – passing that little piece of wisdom on to someone else.
Seneca said: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
Seneca also said: Success is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
Two sources – translating what someone said or wrote a long time ago in a language few scholars really understand makes me wonder if he said either, or both of those things because they certainly do not mean the same to me …
Are luck and success the same thing?
When I have moments of success – so disconcerting when someone says I got lucky. Or congratulates me on my good fortune, with a twist … implying it was fortuitous rather than product of my clever work, worthy sweat or good management.
Conversely, there are times when something goes really well – some fortuitous event collided with my timing. Everything then looks very sweet. In that moment, a weird sort of internal embarrassment, because without some luck-bit intervening, there would be no success today.
I would like to have met Seneca – or any other great mind of his time long ago. I wonder, if we brought those great philosopher and writer minds into today via time-machine, how brilliant might they be now …
Mark Kolke
column written/ published from Calgary
morning walk: 10C/49F, drizzling now. There was a warm easy mild breeze this morning – we walked long before dawn. I could have walked for hours – but an early morning publishing deadline loomed. And we beat the rain.
Reader feedback / comments always welcome:
FINISH LINE
Please keep me on the mailing list. It is nice to receive your column. Thanks a lot, KT, United Nations-Geneva, CH
777 WORDS WITH NO PARTICULAR PURPOSE
As for your mantra (or mission statement) - yes, it is an interesting question to ponder. The thing is, you've been doing things your way for so long now! So whether or not you have one, and whether or not you publish it, is a matter of choice and comfort for you. It could be interesting to see how many of your readers actually have their own mantra to live their lives by...!, MM, Phoenix, AZ
