"Luck" Is When Preparation Meets Opportunity (inspired by @kaylinart)

Many of us our familiar with the title quote, but how many of us truly believe the stark reality of it?
Do you even know what that reality is?

After reading this @kaylinart post: https://steemit.com/life/@kaylinart/how-to-be-as-lucky-as-i-am
I realized it is a great example for this post. A post that will take us all further down the rabbit hole of what "lucky" is.

It will force each of us to do some introspection. Are you ready for that, are you even open to it?

Slapped with Reality

Before we get hit with the reality of this luck dynamic, it's important we all understand something. Let me point it out in case you missed it or didn't read the post.

10,000 hour rule

This was a study by best selling author Malcolm Gladwell that states is take 10,0000 hours of practice to essential perfect something.

In kaylinart's post she mentioned drawing and doing portraits as basically an addiction for the past 11 years.

Do you know how many hours are in 11 years! Well, it's not quite 10,000 hours but it is still a crap load of hours. Hours of practice, hours of experimentation, hours of improvement.

Point is this person was prepared through hard work for when the right opportunity for success came along, it did not happen overnight.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen dropped out of college to form Microsoft in 1975. We all know how that worked out!
However, did you know that they both had already practiced thousands of hours of programming starting back in 1968?

Whether it's a steemit contributor that has found success or the founders of the most successful software company in the world, you must master your craft.

First (and easiest) Thing You Must Accept

You must put in work to have "luck" a.k.a. success.
Plain and simple!
AND for heaven's sake I hope you are passionate about whatever endeavor it is you pursue, because you will be tested!

Tested by failure
Tested by overwhelming responsibilities
Tested by health
Tested by whatever roadblock may come up in your life

That passion, that burning desire to achieve your dream might be the only thing that pulls you through.
If you don't have passion. I suggest you find what it is that makes you feel that way before spending any of you waking hours chasing something.

Slap in the Face Time!

Are you ready for the most important reality of all this?

I don't think you are ready. Hell, I'm not ready!

There is absolutely no gaurantee that all your hard work, all your effort, all the time and money you spend on your craft will amount to any success! Zero, zilch, nada!

Tell me, are you ready to regularly post quality content to Steemit for 3 months and make $75? How about $50, or $25? I hope that is not the reality for any of us, but it is a REAL possibility.

If you cannot digest that possibility then deep down you may not be creating content you are passionate about. You may be driven just by the potential financial success and I'm telling you that won't be enough.

I tell you this because I've lived it.

I was a equity daytrader for more than 5 years. I loved it. I loved everything about studying stock charts, analyzing trends and reading the tape everyday and every night. For five years I scrapped by making a living, always feeling so close to that next big $$$ success.

It never happened though. Eventually life took me another direction. I have no regrets though. I loved what I was doing at the time and it's made me a super knowledgeable "mom and pop investor" these days.

The quote "happiness is in the journey not the destination." Cliche but something to live by!!!

Find whatever it is that makes you feel that way, that is your passion!

Best wishes in your pursuit of happiness,
Mitchell J