31 classes to go ... and still counting

[sinjun]

For those who are curious, I think I'm down to 5 colours left to go, to complete the cross stitching on my current pattern. And then of course, the back stitching. This might get finished one day yet. ;)

I keep meaning to write something deep and meaningful here, but every time I stare at the screen, I end up just going, nah, nobody wants to read that junk anyway. I could be wrong, as I always enjoy reading such things in other peoples' journals, but you know, I figure I'm pretty boring, when it comes right down to it.

One of the things I've been pondering is luck. I have a nice little plaque, given to me by wolfcat that says, paraphrased, "Good luck is 99% planning."

You know what? I still think it's true more often than not. In order to take advantage of an opportunity, you have to see it. Most of the ones we miss, we miss because we aren't looking for them. And we're not looking because we haven't thought about it. If we stop to plan, it doesn't mean the plans will always stay the same or that they'll be perfectly executed. But the very act of planning means that we are looking towards the future, and that often enough is all it takes to have us actually notice the opportunities that exist.

Unfortunately, I think this also holds for bad luck. If you expect something bad to happen, 99% of the time, it will.

A lot of it has to do with perspective.

And of course, this is not to say that things won't happen. They will, of course. Accidents, sickness, winning the lottery - all of these things aren't going to stop, just because we look for the good side of things or make plans for the future.

But it continues to amaze me how different things can be, based solely on perspective and planning.

Comments

[insaint.livejournal.com]

The trouble with bad luck is that you can't really ignore the possibility that something bad might happen. Where's the line between expecting it to happen and knowing that it might and planning a contingency?

Otherwise, though, I agree with your thoughts on the matter.

[damara.livejournal.com]

That's part of planning.

[damara.livejournal.com]

And there is a big difference.

Consider:

"I know I'm going to get into a car accident today. There's 5 inches of snow on the ground."

And:

"There's 5 inches of snow on the ground so driving will be hazardous. I should drive more carefully, leave more space ... etc."

Yes, it's a simplified example, but hopefully the point is clear. Too often, if we know/expect bad luck or something bad is going to happen, we do nothing to avoid it and in fact do things to make sure it happens, whether consciously or not.

[insaint.livejournal.com]

Too often, if we know/expect bad luck or something bad is going to happen, we do nothing to avoid it and in fact do things to make sure it happens, whether consciously or not.

Ahh, fair point.