News

Preparation means not having to rely on luck

  • Published
  • By Col. Michael S. Stough
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing
My 10-year old, Meghan, is a regular Charlie Brown. 

Last year, her class wrote to various candy manufacturers for an in-class English exercise.
 
Meghan’s classmates received all sorts of wonderful gifts, including stickers, candy samples, and other promotional material. Meghan’s gift? A form letter. 

Recently, Meghan brought home her class picture … which didn’t include her. The picture was taken twice (because she and a couple of others were left out of the first shot), but the company printed the wrong one. 

Every time she has one of her experiences, my first thought is always of Charlie Brown’s Halloween lament: “I got a rock.” Luckily, Meghan has a great sense of humor and can appreciate the irony of these situations. 

On the other hand, I’ve known plenty of people whose luck seems to run in exactly the opposite direction. 

The first example that comes to mind is a woman known across the base for her extremely good fortune. Jan Saville is one of those people who always seem to walk off with the door prize or raffle item at every function. In fact, Tracey leaned over to me at a recent Officers’ and Civilians’ Spouses’ Club gathering and whispered, “Just watch, Jan will win something.” Sure enough, her name was called. 

I have no idea why some folks are apparently luckier than others. A statistician would probably downplay the whole idea, citing my limited sample size of observations, and the almost magical scale of chance that exists in every human experience. That’s probably true, but some people sure do seem to have been born under a lucky star. 

That’s not to say that we don’t create our own luck. Although we can’t control the outcome of activities that revolve around pure chance, most of our good — or bad — fortune is at least partially under our control. For example, we can’t always dictate when opportunities will arise, but we can make sure we’re prepared to exploit those opportunities that do exist. 

That’s why we pursue additional education and seek to become as highly skilled in our jobs as possible, so that we’re competitive for our next position. That’s also why everyone who tests for promotion should invest a substantial amount of time and effort in studying for the test. Luck will decide what questions are on the test; your preparation will decide how ready you are to answer. I know, it sounds trite, but there’s really no substitute for preparation. As the old adage says, “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” 

Meghan has already learned early in life that depending on luck isn’t really a wise plan. At least, it’s a lesson she should have learned. Human nature being what it is, she’s no different than the rest of us. We all like a bit of good luck in our lives. 

Just remember, the only sure thing about luck is that it’ll change.