No Such Luck!

Make no mistake, luck doesn't like us. He won't click 'like' when we post, help us strip welded wood-chip wallpaper off the walls or come round to check we're ok when he hears our cat's eaten both the canaries. No, luck phones when it suits him and he always appears without warning. He's a sanctimonious charlatan magnanoumously milking fortune with the consummate ease of a career politician. Luck loves the look of his own barrow and our interests are the furthest thing from his mind. Fortunately (luck's third cousin, once removed) we can, from time to time, make our own luck - and like most home-made produce, it tastes way better than the off-the-shelf, ready-made variety. 

Athletes and artists often say that the more they practise, the luckier they become; and we can probably all relate to this in some way, shape or form. Well structured repetition improves the chances of consistency. I mean, look at Boris. He doesn't even need to try to be a buffoon anymore. He's worked so hard at his craft he now has it down pat; although whether his brand of luck is desirable, that's another question. And to be fair, there's no doubt he has a gift for it too. 

But even this kind of luck, to me at least, still has a kind of manufactured, production line type feel to it. Real home-made luck comes from how we treat others. Helping a friend; sorting a problem because we can, not because we have to; listening to their woes when deep down we can't be bothered; being aware of potential clashes and heading them off at the pass. Selfless, proactive acts of thoughtfulness and support will pay us back in spades. Not all the time, granted, but in general I firmly believe that the more good things we do for people the more we find luck coming back our way. We don't need a four leaf clover or a horseshoe or any other symbol annexed to the insecure ramblings of a 400 BC village idiot. We just need to be the catalyst, to pay it forward, to positively influence other people's behaviour with our own words and actions. It's in us all to affect our own fortune.

And thank luck for that!