Luck is such an odd concept. We all think we know what it is but all have very different interpretations of what it actually means. Is luck circumstantial or is it constitutional? Is luck something truly out of our control or something we can manipulate? No matter your beliefs we tend to put ourselves into one of two camps … we either consider ourselves lucky or unlucky.

I used to be in the “unlucky” camp. My life was a shit-storm of nonsense, and every time I turned around I was whacked in the face with some unfortunate turn of event that kept my life spiraling out of control. I remember being so resentful about it and utterly dumbstruck by just how unlucky I always seemed to be. Crap was constantly happening to me, and I could not, for the life of me, figure out why.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was, of course, all my fault. I kept feeding the beast by unknowingly focusing on the bad things. Hell, even when something good did happen to me, I would think to myself; “it’s about damn time!” or think, “well … I’m sure something bad will happen now.”

My shit-show of existence got to a point that one day I simply sat down with a notepad and attempted to fix it all. I began by listing out all the bad things that had happened to me, which was super easy to do. But when I started listing out the good, I had to force myself, truly force myself to do so. This is when I had a moment of clarity. This is where I figured out that my luck … or that me being unlucky … was just my mindset. Why was it so easy to list out the bad things and so difficult to write out the good things? I found that it was my mentality. It was my behavior. It was what I focused on. Being unlucky had become my paradigm … my way of life.

As I was doing this quasi life audit, I realized that when I was “unlucky” I had actually put myself in those positions. When good things had happened to me, I had also put myself in those positions.

I became fascinated by the concept of luck and started to read up on the subject. This is where I found that everyone had a different opinion on the matter, and again, it reinforced my notion that it really is up to you for what you want it to be. You can bend it to your will.  While I was reading a few articles, I stumbled upon this quote that struck me like a bolt of lightning:

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson

Indeed.  I decided that I would have to work on building my own luck and that over time, I could swing the paradigm from being unlucky to lucky.

I’ve always liked to be in control of things, which is why I suppose I don’t put much stock in astrology, tarot card readers, psychics, evangelicals, or drunken train hobos. I’ve never liked to rely on other people or the stars to tell me of my destiny. 

Over time, I’ve learned that you can turn your luck around and dig yourself out of a hole that you can genuinely turn from being unlucky to lucky. I know this because I have done it. And I did it by embracing this mantra: “Make Your Own Luck.” That’s why when I saw this banner from Pointer and Pine, I had to have it. I’ve also taken that Thomas Jefferson’s quote to heart. Good things will happen to you when you work hard and put yourself in good positions.

Since embracing this mindset, I have seen a massive difference in my life. 

Since this discovery, I no longer have time for people that claim to be unlucky or for individuals that get jealous of someone else’s good fortune. These people constantly complain about everything under the sun, and not surprisingly, they don’t have a lot going for them. These are also the same people who don’t want to hear when you try to help them. No, they would rather wallow in self-pity. I think these people bother me so much because I was once like them, and I don’t want to ever go back to it.

I roll my eyes when someone mentions Mercury being in retrograde (whatever the hell that means) and that the stars are somehow responsible for things being bad or chaotic. I don’t buy it. Sure, things are going to come off the rails. Sure, bad things are going to happen to you. Sure, there will be circumstances that seem unlucky, but when things are not going well, you fix them. You have put yourself in a different position. You can’t wait for someone to do it for you, and you sure as shit shouldn’t wait until the stars and planets are aligned “correctly.” You have to take action and get yourself adjusted and in a position for good things to happen.

You make your own luck. Period.