Are some people just lucky?

Jackie bought her condo for $135,000, and sold it for $175,000. James earned a full scholarship to a university. Sarah got the job she interviewed for. Brenda and Jeff go on a great vacation every year, and have no debt.

Is this all just luck or is it something else?

When I was growing up, anytime I would use the term ‘lucky’ my dad would always say, ‘There is no such thing as luck. There is only ability meeting opportunity.’ Of course as a kid, I would just give him that sideways look and go on with whatever I was doing. But, as I matured, I did start to notice what it was that he was talking about. I would notice when someone would have an opportunity but wouldn’t take advantage of it. I would also notice times when a person would have all the ability in the world, but had not put themselves in the right type of environment to have the opportunity to use their abilities.

Growing up, a friend of mine had a natural ability to draw and paint. With the same ease as I breathe, she could create a beautiful portrait. She earned a full scholarship to one of the best art schools in the U.S., but she thought it would be more fun to chase musicians, so she took off after a drummer. She had the ability, but missed out on the opportunity. And while I love art, sending me to that world-renowned art school would not turn me into an artist. Why? Because, even if I was provided with an endless number of opportunities, I simply lack the natural ability. Neither of us was going to become a great artist, because, one of us didn’t have the ability and other missed the opportunity.

So what about luck and Wealthy Living?

If you want to create a financially fantastic life, you are going to need both ability and opportunity.

Here are some tips on hitting that sweet spot of ability and opportunity:

$ Explore Your Beliefs about Wealth, Money, and Success. Remember: Whether you think you can or you think you can’t you are right. If you are constantly telling yourself that you will never get out of debt, then you will be right. But here is the opportunity, begin to notice what successful people do, begin to challenge what you are telling yourself, begin to read, listen, and talk to people who are successful with their money. Put your mind in that sweet spot! For daily inspiration like Your Open Gate on Facebook

$ Develop Your Skills ~ This is the ability part! Make a budget. Don’t know how. Get a book; Ask a friend; Google it! There are three keys to becoming good at something: practice, practice, practice. After you have a budget ~ stick to it. Learn other money skills   ~ reconcile your accounts, get organized, prepare a statement of net worth (pg. 185 of the Wealthy Living Workbook), start an emergency fund, start a long-term savings account. The important point here is to start and practice.

$ Clarify Your Values. One of the best ways to identify opportunities is to know what you value and then put yourself in situations that are more likely to provide you with those opportunities. Here is a simple example:  I want to make more money. I can make more money at my place of work if I am willing to lead training sessions. I will need public speaking experience to lead the training sessions. In order to gain public speaking experience, do I: A) go to the bar with my friends or B) attend a Toast Masters meeting? If I want the opportunity to learn public speaking Toast Masters would be the way to go.

$ Honor Your Integrity speaks to knowing your abilities and being able to spot opportunities. It takes courage to push yourself past what you have always believed, past whatever current abilities that you possess and develop new skills, past whatever barriers seem to be in your way. You will need to stop looking outside of yourself and trust that you can develop the skills that you need and trust that you will spot the opportunities. That you will honor your integrity and step into those moments when ability meets opportunity and you will take full advantage of that moment. When you find yourself in that sweet spot of ability meeting opportunity have the courage, have the integrity, to step into it!

Start today, from where you are today, take small steps everyday towards creating a financially fantastic life. This is Wealthy Living.