17 May 2011

Moose Jaw Minute #42: A Recipe for Luck

Stephen Leacock
Guest blogger in the house!  Erm, literally.  Here are some reflections from my wonderful partner in life...

I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. ~ Stephen Leacock

Luck. I have been very lucky in my life. As I reflect over the past year since Heather and I had our day on the beach, I realize just how lucky I am. That day, for our unknown friends from Korea (we track who views the blog), was our wedding day. It was all dumb luck that everything fell into place as it did. There were a million things that could have gone wrong with such a dynamic and daring plan. It was perfect.

When I consider where I am in life - the friends I have chosen to surround myself with, the career I am navigating, the home Heather and I are creating, the financial future we are building, how I think and feel about myself (Awesome! ...if you were wondering) and most importantly the relationship Heather and I share with each other - I am more then lucky. I am blessed.

With each of these points above I/we have worked to get to where we are. We did not win the lottery with friends, career, our home, money, our relationship with others or ourselves - we damn well worked hard to get to where we are. The more focus and time we spend on our lives, seeking the positive in all that we do, the greater amount of success we have had... and will continue to have.

As Heather and I arrive at our first anniversary it is a time to reflect over the growth we have shared as a couple. We don’t have it all figured out - and I kinda hope we never do! I enjoy the progress we make as we clear each hurdle and, even more so, the way we work together when we stumble and sometimes run smack into a wall. The working together part is what makes me know beyond a doubt that we have chosen well in each other.

A recipe for luck.

Luck, as I am learning, is created with varying degrees of:
  • Hard work - Heather and I talk... and we talk most when we don’t want to talk! That's hard work! 
  • Focused effort - Taking specific time to pause and reflect, as well, develop a plan to move forward in ALL areas of our lives. 
  • Simplistic design - The less cluttered our lives the less we carry around. “The Big Picture” with little detail is simplest of all. And throw out your crap! 
  • Inspiration and imagination - Dream a little... and share those dreams too! 
  • A healthy portion of patience - Life has its own way of working things out to its own rhythm. As we spend more time listening to each other and working through things together we are more pleased with an organic conclusion than a forced result. 
  • Zero expectations! - I want for Heather to be happy and fulfilled in our love and in our lives. By creating expectations we then make it complicated. Simple is best! 
Served with a positive attitude and you will be the luckiest person you know!

When I reflect on my life thus far I see how these simple ingredients have created my present existence. Was it dumb struck luck that I met Heather? Well, we both had to be in the right place at the right time physically, mentally and emotionally. Heather could have easily not clicked on my name - I could have easily not responded. But here we are through a long distance relationship, a crazy perfect wedding and lightning fast immigration.



Was it luck?

Absolutely!

... and worth all the effort. 

Many a man in love with a dimple makes the mistake of marrying the whole girl. ~ Stephen Leacock

How have you been lucky...tell us your story -- life, love, your respective pursuit of happiness...

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