It’s Not Luck
I went to a cookout tonight (actually my second of the day) and ran into a guy who just finished school (later in life) and was a big multimedia, A/V kind of guy. He wanted to learn more about podcasting, and found it freaky that I’d run into him, and was all about the podcasting. He also mentioned having some student loan debt to pay off.
I recommended the Financial Aid Podcast and the Student Loan Network for his debt issues, and then invited him to PodCamp Boston on Sept 9-10. I gave him my card with this contact information on the back, and implored him to contact me on all fronts.
Now, was it luck?
Not at all. And no, I’m not suggesting something like fate. Instead, I’m saying that I put myself in the situation of learning as much as I can about someone upon meeting them. I’m doing deep dives, trying hard to go past the “weather” talk that most of us engage in, and see what someone’s about, and what they might need. If I can be helpful, I help. If I find something I need, I ask for help.
That’s not luck. Don’t count on luck.
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Comments
You know, this is absolutely true. Some motivational speaker I saw many years ago talked about avoiding saying to his child, “How lucky you are!” when he found a quarter on the ground, noting that it was really a matter of paying attention and taking an opportunity that came his way. How many opportunities do we miss because we weren’t paying attention or just plain didn’t ask?
This is really, really on. I did some of this at a cookout myself yesterday and had a really nice conversation with some folks. These were people who (in my world) previously fit into the “hot, huh?” conversations.
It’s not always easy. It takes some effort. It’s good stuff.
Instead of calling events like that “fate” I say that its a “sign from the universe” telling me im heading in the right direction.
For instance, I am currently about to launch fizboflorida.com, which is a new type of for sale buy owner website. When zillow announced their open api, I took it as a sign from the universe telling me im heading the right way, and that zillow was going to help build fizboflorida.com into something special.
Some signs from the universe are smaller, and to catch them you must keep your ears and eyes open. It is a good feeling, it almost feels like what your doing has meaning, Awesome stuff.