How good is your luck?

In the Tennis world, Arthur Ashe is a name which draws a lot of respect and awe. He was the first African American player ever to win the singles title at?Wimbledon , the?US Open , and the?Australian Open and was a former World no. 2 as well before he retired from professional tennis in 1980.

In what was considered as a truly unfortunate turn of events, Ashe was believed to have contracted?HIV ?from a blood transfusion he received during?heart bypass surgery ?in 1983 which ultimately led to his death in 1993 at age 49.

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During the days of his illness, he received a lot of fan mail with many asking as to why God chose him of all people for this dreadful disease especially given the turn of events.

The below is believed to be Ashe’s reply* to one such letter:

“All over the world some million teenagers aspire to become tennis players. Out of these million may be a hundred thousand reach some sort of proficiency. Of them only a few thousand play in some circuit and only a hundred or so play the grand slam. Finally, only two reach the final of Wimbledon. When I was standing with the trophy of Wimbledon in my hand, I never questioned God “Why Me?” And now what right do I have to ask God “Why Me?”

I was personally inspired by this small anecdote because while we do ask “Why me” when things don’t work out, we rarely stop to ask “Why me” when the going is good.

Likewise, we wish each other luck before an event, but how many times do we acknowledge its role after the event, especially if we are on the winning side?

When we are doing well, we mostly attribute it to talent and hard work even though it is an irrefutable fact that the invisible hand of fortune is at work all along – both at the macro and the micro level.

At a macro level, while not impossible to overcome, it does indeed matter what our starting points are which determine where we will end up. From which country, socio-economic class, family background we come from to what opportunities come our way or are denied, what choices do we make or are forced upon us – seldom can one deny the existence and salience of fortune.

For every movie actor or sportsperson, who makes it big in the business, there are several others equally capable who languish due to nepotism or racism. For every corporate leader who gets the plum job, there are others who fall victims to corporate politics. There are always factors outside of our influence which sometimes work for and sometimes against us.

When I was growing up, in a privileged environment, we had a household help who had the most brilliant and fertile mind. Like a sponge he could learn new things quickly and was so hard working that he would find time to learn reading and writing after finishing all the chores. Had he got the opportunities that I got, he would have been far more successful than me. All things equal, I attribute this difference plainly and simply to luck.

Similarly, at a micro level, there are traces of luck in what we do at work on a daily basis, though these are subtle and most times indistinguishable.

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Ask athletes and sportspersons what ‘being in the zone’ means and they will tell you about this imaginary place that they are able to reach while playing, when the deafening noise around reduces to a buzz, when their skills magnify to their highest level and when their opponents’ ploys seem easier to overcome. When it happens, magic happens and when it doesn’t which is a lot of times, it is a grind. Interestingly, none of the athletes can get into this ‘zone’ at will. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t - even for the best of them. This is true of any field of work – not just sport. Of course the more you work hard, the more you put yourself in a position to get in the zone, but that’s no guarantee that it will happen when you want it to happen.

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This week, arguably one of the best short form international cricket players in the world, AB de Villiers (from South Africa) retired from all forms of cricket. AB is credited for revolutionizing the short format of the game by regularly utilizing attacking unorthodox shots including but not limited to the dreaded "yorker" and holds the record of the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in one day cricket. He also earned the moniker “Mr. 360” for his ability to play shots all around the wicket.

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In his autobiography, AB courageously mentions two specific times when he felt a divine intervention which reinstated his faith in the higher power in a very visceral manner. He says that while religious faith is very personal and these stories could make people uncomfortable, he has to acknowledge the role that God played in his glory.

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In his own words

“As my life continues to unfold, I know how fortunate I am to experience moments of glory, moments like the one-day international against the West Indies at the Wanderers on Sunday, 18 January 2015, moments when everything falls into place and when everything goes my way, moments when I am being showered with praise and compliments. These are great moments. I am grateful, but I never need to be reminded that it’s never my glory. It’s all His glory. I think I understand”

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I don’t want to dwell on any religious aspects here but rather on the fact that even at the highest level of talent and success, there are individuals who are humble enough and aware enough to acknowledge that it’s not just them that created the magic.

As the saying goes “There is a universe between what you do and what is done. Even an artist knows that the next brush stroke is not entirely his own”

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Next time, when you have that brilliant insight that becomes hugely successful with consumers, or a tough project that gets implemented successfully etc. by all means pat your back but at the same time do attribute some credit to forces outside of your own faculties.

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I am not saying that we become fatalists and stop trying because either way luck will run its own routine. Not at all. Our role in the world is to “always bloom wherever we are planted”, so we should carry on being us and making the best of our talent and hard work.

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But acknowledging the role of luck in our lives both at a macro and at a micro level makes us humble, makes us respect and not judge those who aren’t as successful as we are and keeps us grounded and balanced – secure in the knowledge that when things go well, it is not just because of our doing and equally when they don’t go well, it is not just because of our doing.

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Happy reflecting!

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PS: Views expressed are personal

*Source: Articles on the internet – not verified