Black Cats and Green Clovers
This week has been a bizarre week.
Earlier in the week it was chicken nugget day at the cafeteria. I strolled in line, got the standard portion of nuggets, went back to the end of line to receive a second helping (which is lunchroom policy according to the workers) and then got denied. The workers was a newbie and several other 'lunch ladies' informed him of the policy. Nuggets were awarded but not without some trial.
Tuesday was no different as I was about to buy a muffin and some milk and a juice only to find out I had no Titan Dollars left on my card. Unbenknowst to me my Titan Dollar spending went unchecked by myself and I actually did run myself out of 'cash.'
Today, my good friend Ryan's car did not start, at all. Although it was nice to have him visit for another night, the poor kid awaits repairs to his car, stalling him from returning to work and getting stuff done.
String that stuff together and you got some bad luck. A series of unfortunate events without orphans and a crazy dude named Olaf. It's easy during moments like this to look inward and wonder the classic "Why me?" though aloud, as if, A. you're the only person this happens to, and B. some higher power has it in for you.
Luck is luck. It's an uncontrollable force proved only by the Peter Brook's Law of Averages. Take a six sided die (or if you're a D&D kid, 20 sided) and roll it the same number of sides which exist. I will even do it right now as I write this article:
1st roll: 2
2nd roll: 1
3rd roll: 1
4th roll: 4
5th roll: 2
6th roll: 5
2 and 1 came up twice. 4 and 5 once. 3 and 6 never. What does that mean? It means that on average that's probably going to happen throughout life. It's the same force behind professors seemingly mystical ability to schedule all papers and tests for the same week. It's less likely that everything will spread itself out evenly as time goes on. Also it means that everyone has something that will happen frequently and something that will rarely ever happen. Some people may be really lucky at cards vs. board games. Some people may be really lucky at sports video games vs. strategical games. Some people never get pulled over by the cops, some all the time. Point is, it's different for everyone. Bearing all of this in mind here are my suggestions for 'overcoming' bad luck.
1. Everyone's Different
I always love the stories about students who hear other students brag how they got away with policies. Do some students get away with policy violations? I'm sure of it. I've gotten away with speeding at times. There's just no reason to invest time and energy into monitoring all action. The mistake most folks make is when they think they can retain that same person's luck. Know that you're luck is not going to be the same as someone else.
2. Change Your Odds
There may be a 'definite outcome' of sorts for our life dice roll but that doesn't mean you can't change your odds. If you never speed, you're not going to get a speeding ticket. That's kinda how it works. If you practice shooting the basketball a lot, you're going to get better at shooting the ball and more than likely going to make more baskets. Healthy risks are good, the more you take, the more likely you'll succeed. Unhealthy risks should be avoided since, just like the good, the more you do it, the more there's a chance of getting caught or receiving a consequence.
3. "Chance Favors the Prepared Mind"
This was from a fortune cookie I once got. But it makes sense. You can't control the fact that you're gonna have tests and papers in the same week. But you can control when you're going to study for them. Spread that out. Will the week still be stressful? Sure, but probably not as much if you start planning three days out for your week of hell. That's you practice or stay disciplined to a hobby.
4. Perspective Controls Luck's Value
Does it suck that my friend Ryan has to pay to fix his car? Yes. Did he miss a day of work? Yes. Does life move on? Yes. Did he get a chance to hang out with his friends another day and go see people whom he hasn't seen in a while? Yes. I'm sure Ryan's not thrilled about the car needing repairs, but he made the most his day today. This also ties into:
5. Broken Vase Theory
Neo breaks a vase in The Matrix. Then he discovers the secret of The Matrix. Not enirely a direct correlation but life is about a series of fortunately/unfortunately (a great children's book by the way). You combine this with #4 then you're winning all the time.
Luck is neutral and will always exist. But when you focus on those things that can 'control' how luck is perceived and established, you're more than likely to feel more in control about your life.
So, from the bottom of my heart: Good Luck!
pb
Earlier in the week it was chicken nugget day at the cafeteria. I strolled in line, got the standard portion of nuggets, went back to the end of line to receive a second helping (which is lunchroom policy according to the workers) and then got denied. The workers was a newbie and several other 'lunch ladies' informed him of the policy. Nuggets were awarded but not without some trial.
Tuesday was no different as I was about to buy a muffin and some milk and a juice only to find out I had no Titan Dollars left on my card. Unbenknowst to me my Titan Dollar spending went unchecked by myself and I actually did run myself out of 'cash.'
Today, my good friend Ryan's car did not start, at all. Although it was nice to have him visit for another night, the poor kid awaits repairs to his car, stalling him from returning to work and getting stuff done.
String that stuff together and you got some bad luck. A series of unfortunate events without orphans and a crazy dude named Olaf. It's easy during moments like this to look inward and wonder the classic "Why me?" though aloud, as if, A. you're the only person this happens to, and B. some higher power has it in for you.
Luck is luck. It's an uncontrollable force proved only by the Peter Brook's Law of Averages. Take a six sided die (or if you're a D&D kid, 20 sided) and roll it the same number of sides which exist. I will even do it right now as I write this article:
1st roll: 2
2nd roll: 1
3rd roll: 1
4th roll: 4
5th roll: 2
6th roll: 5
2 and 1 came up twice. 4 and 5 once. 3 and 6 never. What does that mean? It means that on average that's probably going to happen throughout life. It's the same force behind professors seemingly mystical ability to schedule all papers and tests for the same week. It's less likely that everything will spread itself out evenly as time goes on. Also it means that everyone has something that will happen frequently and something that will rarely ever happen. Some people may be really lucky at cards vs. board games. Some people may be really lucky at sports video games vs. strategical games. Some people never get pulled over by the cops, some all the time. Point is, it's different for everyone. Bearing all of this in mind here are my suggestions for 'overcoming' bad luck.
1. Everyone's Different
I always love the stories about students who hear other students brag how they got away with policies. Do some students get away with policy violations? I'm sure of it. I've gotten away with speeding at times. There's just no reason to invest time and energy into monitoring all action. The mistake most folks make is when they think they can retain that same person's luck. Know that you're luck is not going to be the same as someone else.
2. Change Your Odds
There may be a 'definite outcome' of sorts for our life dice roll but that doesn't mean you can't change your odds. If you never speed, you're not going to get a speeding ticket. That's kinda how it works. If you practice shooting the basketball a lot, you're going to get better at shooting the ball and more than likely going to make more baskets. Healthy risks are good, the more you take, the more likely you'll succeed. Unhealthy risks should be avoided since, just like the good, the more you do it, the more there's a chance of getting caught or receiving a consequence.
3. "Chance Favors the Prepared Mind"
This was from a fortune cookie I once got. But it makes sense. You can't control the fact that you're gonna have tests and papers in the same week. But you can control when you're going to study for them. Spread that out. Will the week still be stressful? Sure, but probably not as much if you start planning three days out for your week of hell. That's you practice or stay disciplined to a hobby.
4. Perspective Controls Luck's Value
Does it suck that my friend Ryan has to pay to fix his car? Yes. Did he miss a day of work? Yes. Does life move on? Yes. Did he get a chance to hang out with his friends another day and go see people whom he hasn't seen in a while? Yes. I'm sure Ryan's not thrilled about the car needing repairs, but he made the most his day today. This also ties into:
5. Broken Vase Theory
Neo breaks a vase in The Matrix. Then he discovers the secret of The Matrix. Not enirely a direct correlation but life is about a series of fortunately/unfortunately (a great children's book by the way). You combine this with #4 then you're winning all the time.
Luck is neutral and will always exist. But when you focus on those things that can 'control' how luck is perceived and established, you're more than likely to feel more in control about your life.
So, from the bottom of my heart: Good Luck!
pb
posted by Peter Brooks at 12:33 AM
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