|
Author: Chris Widener Article source: http://www.refresher.com/. Used with author's permission.
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 About The Author:
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of
Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn
their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and
achieve their dreams.
To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on
the subject of Secrets of Influence go to
http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.
Wisdom of the Worlds Proverbs
You don't have to excavate diamond mines or oil fields to find one of the world's greatest treasures. All you need to do is look at the world's proverbs--the "p...
Cell Phones - The New Media
Every day, there are more new uses for the classic cell phones. These days, people have come to the conclusion that they read their emails, pay their fees or pl...
Three Inspirations for Happiness
The following three inspirations were adapted from A Daily Dose of Happiness, and they represent three key ways to increase our happiness. 1. FORGIVING FOR HAPP...
Home Loans For People With Adverse Credit History
Here are some guidelines to follow when looking to get a mortgage loan if you have adverse credit history.
Open Door Policy? Open Mind Policy?
How to maximize staff potential by developing open door and open mind policies.
10 Ways To Gain An Avalanche Of Sales
1. Utilize holidays to increase your visitors or sales. You could give away free electronic greeting cards, hold discounts, send customers holiday cards, etc. 2...
Home Décor for First Timers (no matter what your age)
If you're like most people home décor is a puzzling subject. Unless you are innately artistic and have an eye for color and texture, home décor can become quit...
Dont Assume You Cant Do it, Just Because Conventional Wisdom Says you Cant
Be weary and leery when it comes to standardized tests and things of that nature that attempt to gauge your intelligence, aptitude, or ability to achieve at you...
8 Ways to Write a Winner Book Fast!
How to write your best book now for the faster you finish the faster you profit!
Winning The Hit Exchange Game
"How do I get more traffic to your site?" That's the eternal question. Or to be more precise, "How do I get more targetted traffic to my pages, people who are g...
10 Tips for Dining Out
People are eating out more than ever before which may result in unwanted weight gain. Here are 10 easy tips for eating out the healthy way.
How to Change the Leadership Myth
With all the books, articles and training focused on leadership, why are we still not securing the results that we should have? Possibly, the answer is that muc...
A Crash Course on Graphic Philosophy 101
Novice and professional graphic designers, we are aware that you know the basic principles of graphic philosophy. But then, as workers of art - though digital a...
Staying Organized This Holiday Season?
The holiday season is upon us. You now have this huge taste of staying organized throughout it. You need to purchase gifts for a number of people. You'll nee...
Pick Up Your Pen and Lose Weight!
Can keeping a personal journal actually increase weight loss? Read on . . .
Woodworking Tools: Right Selection And Care Will Save You Money, Part 5
Once you have your wood cut and shaped, you will need to assemble your project. There are tools made especially for this purpose, and the list includes some of...
New Approach for Rating Home Biz Opportunities
A new approach to rating "home biz opportunities" based on 11 objective major criteria and 7 minor criteria. There are no web sites that only rate home biz opp...
The Whats, Whys, and Hows of Weight Loss: A Step-By-Step Process to Ensure Weight Loss Success
A step-by-step process to get clear about why you want to lose weight, what weight loss success is to you, and a plan for achieving it.
When is the Best Time to Plan Your Day?
When is the best time to plan your day? Well, everyone is different. Let's take a quick look at some of the different possible times:
The Secret of Field/Place Betting
If you place a field bet by itself, you'll win 16 times and lose 20 times (in 36 theoretical rolls). And, the field only pays off 1:1 - that is, if you bet $5, ...
Tenuate: Should A Diet Pill Be Part Of Your Weight Loss Checklist?
Tenuate, or diethylpropion hydrochloride, reduces your appetite. It acts on your body the same way that amphetamine weight-loss pills of yesteryear worked on 5...
Weird Foods Of The World - Chinese
Cow's bronchial tubes in a delicate white wine sauce, or deep fried crispy scorpion, or, if your are feeling really adventurous, why not try the Monkey brains. ...
Skin Care the Natural Way
Natural methods for maintaining vibrant, healthy skin.
Digital Photography - Smart Tips for Recording and Preserving Family History for Generations to Come
If they had digital photography and computers like we do today, a thousand years ago. Would we have those pictures to look at today? I bet we would. We need to ...
|
Print this page