Here's How To Make Your Own Luck In The Business World

Luck (noun): a combination of good circumstances and hard work. 

That's my personal definition of luck. Do I feel lucky on a daily basis? Absolutely. As the founder of a language services agency, the feeling of luck is with me always. Here's why. My chosen career is one where we impact someone in a critical way every single day. Communication is how we bridge culture gaps. My company bridges that gap with our translation and interpreting services.

I feel lucky when I see on a Sunday night that my interpreters are excited and happy to go to work on Monday morning. I feel lucky when my staff says how rewarding a career in language services is. They see the profound and direct impact they have on our clients. I feel lucky when we are able to take revenue and give to charities that help to make the world a better place. I feel lucky when I'm able to take people to events and places that bring them joy and wonder and the spirit of adventure. I feel lucky when I'm able to share what I've learned over the years and mentor someone starting out in the business world. I wake up every day engaged, excited and eager to see what awaits me. I am lucky.

How did I get so lucky? So often I have witnessed people excuse their own inadequacies by crediting the success of others to luck. Yes, being in the right place at the right time has something to do with it. But luck is derived from putting the seeds of hard work into place. Business owners I know disparage their more successful competitors as lucky. If those owners would make as many calls or work as many hours as their competitors, they would realize that their probability of success is fairly equal. 

My luck began when I was placed in a situation that could have gone very wrong. I was asked to translate a medical encounter simply because I was bilingual. I didn't know medical terminology and the entire experience alarmed me. This was an opportunity that was presented to me. I could go one of two ways, ignore it or do something to fix it. It was in that moment that my "luck" changed.

The truth is that seemingly lucky people are opportunists. I am most definitely an opportunist. I do the things that allow me to take advantage of the world around me. 

Here are a few "lucky" things I do and suggest everyone incorporate into their professional lives:

• I play to my strengths. So much time and energy is wasted trying to do things you probably don't do very well. 
• I focus only on what I do best. Everything else is and should be delegated. 
• I prepare. Unlucky people often get that way because they're reactive and unprepared for whatever comes. 
• I plan and analyze decisions. I try to see the various outcomes and prepare for different results. This isn't foolproof but generally I am not caught off guard. 
• I connect. Networking is the single most important thing I have done in my career. It provides access to opportunity and increases your circle of influence. I cannot express the luck I've had from networking.

My wish for everyone in business is that they discover their luck, through smart decisions and hard work. Good luck!

By Elizabeth Colon, the Huffington Post, March 2, 2016