Chapter 65 Luck.
John Fool and his wife Jane won $400,000 in a lottery and was shaking with excitement. They went out with their 2 teenagers and shopped till they dropped, then the couple downed 14 mugs of beer between them. Later they stumbled out of the bar, dribbling, and swaying on both sides of the road to reach the car. The family joked and burst into frenzied laughter. John mumbled and giggled like a small boy in a middleaged mans body, as he drove on obliviously at a crazy speed. Suddenly their car swerved, hit the curb and bounced into an oncoming van. The thunder from the impact shook the whole neighbourhood. The 2 families of 9 people perished in balls of flame. Thrill turned into tragedy. Bad luck or sheer carelessness? They started with lovely luck remember? such cases are not rare around us - just read the papers!
Each year, there are some 100,000 road deaths world-wide but only about 200 aircraft fatalities. My check on these statistics reconfirms that flying is safer than driving. Again, this is not chance or luck! The meticulousness in the design, manufacture, maintenance and operation of passenger-planes shows an obsession with safety. Invariably, luck has an intimate link with cautiousness. I learned this too well from my own experience, because I suffered much for my over-confidence and recklessness. So do not harbour illusion of control and be caught off-guard. It pays to build your shield against regular problems or sudden mishaps. Prepare for slippery roads and sinking boats, but hope for the best. The successful Donald Trump said, 'I always go into the deal anticipating the worst. If you can plan for the worst - you can live with the worst the good will always take care of itself. Mark Twain said it deftly: 'There are two times in a man's life when he should not speculate: When he cant afford it, and when he can. Our lesson 1 is: Be cautious and thorough, without a false sense of mastery.
Andy Ass won $200,000 in the lotto and was determined to continue his lucky streak and double his money. He spent a day playing with big stakes at the Casino. He lost $100,000, then $200,000. His wife persuaded him to leave but he persisted. He had such a run of bad luck that he lost another 50,000 from all of his saving, then another 10,000 that he borrowed from his nephew! Finally he had to pawn his family jewellery to pay his debt. It is often said that a fool and his money are soon parted. When a man with money meets a man with experience, the experienced man will end up with the money and the other, with the experience! Casinos are very experienced indeed. The little tropical house lizard is cleverer; as you know well, he gives you his detachable tail but keeps his life! Always discard bad luck before it becomes worse luck. Let the tiger have your rope before he gets you. The unlucky ones are often too slow and stubborn to change courses and mitigate their losses. Lesson 2: Minimise your risks and losses soon, before it is too late.
Simon Song and his wife Susan were on an early Airbus 330 returning from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur. Simon had the instantly-likable, teddy-bear look, and his friendly nature took him around to befriend various passengers. Susan was even friendlier; she was a bird of a woman, full of flutter and twitter. They said hello to a smart businessman, lingered on, and started conversing. The man turned out to be a high-level executive from one of the largest multilevel marketing companies in the world! He had come to survey, then to pave the way for networkmarketing company in Malaysia. Simon and Susan liked the idea, after all, their personality had won a large web of contacts everywhere. Soon they signed up as the 1st dealer in the country and recruited hundreds of friends into the business. The new venture boomed and Simon resigned from his old job and went on to build a huge fortune. In real life, I have a friend who has made millions in the same way. He now heads a MLM marketing company in several Asian countries. Whenever you initiate friendship, you boost the number of opportunities popping up and things happening. Furthermore, you gain support, job referrals, even mentors and benefactors. Many who landed in enviable jobs were simply those who had made themselves known to other people. H. Khan, the founder of Hudson Institute said, 'You never know what insight or solution may come to you in unforeseen contacts with people. Lesson 3: Form a large network of friendship.
As opportunities pop up, you must be alert and bold enough to seize them. Louis Pasteur advised, 'Luck favours the mind that is prepared. Cervantes, the famous French writernoted: 'Anyone who does not know how to handle the most of his luck has no right to complain if it passes him by. Fortunes swings towards men whose hearts and minds have been prepared to attract them. Do not overlook a whim, glimmer or passing remark! Sadly, most people do not take a second look at things or turn problems into opportunities. Lesson 4: Alertness and observance improve your luck.
Avoid rashness in seizing opportunities, but act with boldness and confidence built on knowledge, experience, wisdom, intuition and calculated risks. Joyce Brothers said, 'Trust your hunches. Theyre usually based on the facts filed away just below the conscious level. If you lack courage for action, and insist on certainty and the perfect moment, you tend to paralyse yourself. If you do not take risk you may risk more! Balance boldness with caution. Study situations carefully, weighing the pros and cons before you pick one risk against another, and the amount of risk you are prepared to take; nonetheless, you must reduce risks to the minimal. Lesson 5: Be bold in taking calculated risks.
We admire tycoons and champions for their great success but forget the years of toil and perseverance behind it all. Preparation put them at the right time and place for luck tostrike. Gary Player assured us: 'The harder you work the luckier you get. Lesson 6: Lucky people are hard-working and smart-working people.
I have seen and heard of many incidents of people who (without expecting returns) helped others. Years later those they had helped became their big benefactors, ushering them into multi-million prosperity. I would love to give you some names here but I could not, out of courtesy. I have also read much about generosity which brought luck and riches. By helping and giving, you gain some kind of divine powers. You have also put the world and God in your debt; you have to be rewarded, and will be sooner or later. Our 7th and last lesson is not the least important: Understand, love, empower and help others.
In conclusion, we accept that life has both windfalls and misfortunes, but they need not rule us. With our treasure chest of wisdom, knowledge, skills and powerful self-reliance, we can definitely improve our luck and control our lives.