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- Bad Luck, Bad Choices, and Bad Habits
BY CHRIS
WIDENER
We were at
some friend’s house the other day and the wife mentioned
some other acquaintances of ours. “It sure is too bad, all
the bad luck they have,” she said.
My first thought
was, “Bad habits, not bad luck.”
My second thought
was, “Or is it bad choices?”
You see, there
is a difference. What we many times call bad luck is merely bad
choices.
Let me explain:
If you work
hard, buy a new car, keep it up with regular maintenance and
blow a tire driving down the road, that is bad luck.
However, if
you drive on your tires until they are almost bald and drive
at speeds higher than they are recommended for, and keep them
at the wrong inflation level, and then the tire blows, that is
not bad luck but bad choices. The tire blew because you chose
not to buy new ones. The tire blew because you chose not to take
the time to check your tire inflation level the last time you
filled up the tank.
It is bad luck
to leave your house on vacation and while you are away the gas
line breaks and the house blows up.
It is bad habits
to not tend to taking care of your house, replacing the roof,
painting, etc until it is a junk pile.
It is bad luck
to be let go from a company that goes into meltdown because the
CEO acted unethically and the stock tanks, forcing layoffs.
It is both
bad choices and bad habits to be late to work everyday, display
shoddy workmanship and have a bad attitude to the point that
the boss fires you.
If you choose
to frequent shady parts of town or risky establishments, and
you get mugged, is that bad luck or bad choices?
You get the
point.
How often do
we call something bad luck when it is really the result of bad
habits or bad choices?
This really
boils down to a matter of ownership of our lives and actions.
Do we take full responsibility for our lives or not?
I know of a
gentleman who was recently passed over for a job. It would have
paid him $13,000 for a week’s worth of work. The person
who passed him over told me why. Knowing this gentleman, I said,
“It is too bad, because with a few good choices, that guy
could be living in a nice house, driving nice cars, and having
very few financial problems.”
What about
you? Do you experience bad luck? Or bad habits? Or bad choices?
The next time
you hear someone say, “He’s down on his luck,”
perhaps you ought to ask, “Or is he down on his choices?”
I have found
that those who have good habits and make good choices tend to
experience the best luck!
So, if you
want a little good luck, make some good choices and develop some
good habits.
"Luck
is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."
Ray Kroc
- "When
I work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, I get lucky."
Dr. Armand Hammer
-
Author:
Chris Widener
is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made
for Success and Extraordinary Leaders, two companies helping
individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance,
succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.
Join subscribers in over 100 countries around the world! Get
Chris' FREE weekly Made for Success Ezine by sending a blank
email to success-on@mail-list.com. Get his FREE daily SuccessQuoteT
with action point by sending a blank email to SQ@infogeneratorpro.com.
Get his FREE monthly Extraordinary Leaders Ezine, one of the
world's most widely distributed leadership newsletters, by sending
a blank email to leaders-on@mail-list.com or visit his websites
at http://www.madeforsuccess.com and http://www.extraordinaryleaders.com.
- Copyright
2003 Made for Success. Used by permission. All rights reserved
worldwide.
ARTICLE POSTED
OCTOBER 14, 2003
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