What number of instances have you ever wished to say one thing however stopped your self simply earlier than you probably did? “Undelivered Mail” options letters thought out however by no means sealed and delivered: to ideas, individuals and navigating life, by way of my eyes.
Expensive luck,
Whenever you want upon a star
Makes no distinction who you’re
Something your coronary heart needs
Will come to you.
~ Pinocchio
How essential are you, actually? I at all times considered you as one thing ubiquitous — all of us obtained our share of you serving to us out after we wanted it essentially the most. However how a lot of your mythicism is simply coincidence?
‘Fortunate woman syndrome’: in case you consider you’re fortunate, good issues will come to you.
I advised my grandad the summer season earlier than senior yr, “Every little thing good that’s ever occurred to me was simply good luck.” That’s a daring assumption to make. Was a component of luck concerned in all the things? Most likely. Was it the most important motive why issues simply appeared to work out? Nope. However possibly I’d been practising my model of fortunate woman syndrome — attracting luck by attributing all the things I did to it.
Then got here school purposes. Day after day, I used to be reassured by everybody surrounding me, “Sara, these items are simply luck.” Luck grew to become omnipresent in each crevice of my life.
So, after I opened my determination letter on the primary of April, I keep in mind screaming, “I’m so fortunate!”
However this attribution to a idea, not even an actual place or particular person, isn’t at all times honest to ourselves. Sure, chances are you’ll chant affirmations to your self due to a TikTok, inform your self that you’re the ‘Fortunate Lady’ they discuss, and save each sound that claims to present you dangerous luck in case you skip. However it’s essential to keep in mind that luck is simply that — a phrase.
There’s a component of probability in all the things we do; there are simply too many issues taking place concurrently in our little world to not have that. So, though I believe I’m so fortunate to be right here (particularly now that the climate’s so good), I additionally know that my being right here was made doable by a collection of possibilities that in some way turned in my favor. I don’t know if that’s luck — as a result of to entry that luck, you have to have labored exhausting, finished these actions and pursued your passions.
When it really works in your favor, this syndrome is nice. I’ll attribute all the things I’ve finished to luck, and in some convoluted means, that’ll preserve me working exhausting as a result of I cross off all the things good that occurs as a fluke. I’ll preserve taking dangers, take a category WAY out of my consolation zone or strive one thing new, hoping I’ll be fortunate. We don’t resolve the place we’re born, which faculty we go to, what our dad and mom are excited by and the way that’ll form our pursuits. We do resolve what we’ll do with these alternatives, and people selections aren’t at all times luck.
It goes downhill whenever you attribute all the things dangerous that occurs to luck. “Oh no, I used to be so unfortunate I fell off my bike,” and “Shit, I received such a foul grade on my remaining, I’m SO unfortunate.” A loud sigh ceaselessly accompanies these sayings. When these change into a query of luck, it turns into irreversible — one thing you have got and might’t eliminate.
So regardless that luck acts as an amazing protecting blanket, preserving us heat and letting us consider on this legendary idea as if it’s an individual, our good friend even, I’m going to maintain myself accountable for the way a lot I give it. Luck is essential, I agree, however so are my actions, extra so than luck can ever carry.
Thanks for being on my facet for all these years. I’ll preserve you close to.
Love,
Sara