Intentional action ALWAYS beats luck. Here's why I'm NOT lucky.
june 6, 2024
Do you feel LUCKY to be where you're at in life, doing what you're doing?
Today's newsletter is a juicy one! It might rub some people the wrong way, and it's ok to disagree. Each to their own. I'd like this to be an open conversation! Here we go...
I recently spent the weekend in Esperance on a work trip in my role as a casual Trail Leader in Perth. Whilst I was down there, I also worked remotely for my own biz Balance HQ, where I'm the owner, founder and Wellbeing and Career Coach. I literally set up at the foreshore on a picnic table, winter sun on my cheeks, view of the ocean, and joined my weekly coaching call and did some admin.
I shared stories on socials over the weekend, sharing what I was up to and where I was.
Some people said to me "you're so lucky that's work" and "you're lucky you can just go and do that" or "so lucky". It's happened before over the past couple of years of running my own biz... I think it's a pretty common Australian-ism type statement/comment to make.
And it got me thinking. Usually I'd not really think twice and agree that yes, I am lucky.
Not this time. I contemplated my luck on an evening walk...
How did I come to be here?
Working this job?
Running my biz from my laptop?
Was I really lucky?
Did I win a raffle by chance?
What were my odds that I'd end up here? After working at the other end of the state, full-time, one job, 2 years ago...
Well here's my conclusion: I'M NOT LUCKY. It's not luck.
To me, luck is the guy in South Australia who won $150,000,000 in Powerball a couple of weeks ago. He had a what articles are calling "astronomical odds" of winning the jackpot. He had a 1 in 134 MILLION chance of winning, and he won. To me, this guy is lucky!
My movements last weekend in Esperance - not luck at all.
These opportunities didn't fall from the sky.
I didn't enter a raffle and win the chance to start my business.
I didn't put my name in a hat and hope I'd be chosen to become a Trail Leader.
I didn't hope that my odds of creating varied, diverse incomes streams would just happen one day.
I didn't sit back and leave it up to chance as to whether I'd be selected for the Esperance hiking festival...
I made these things happen.
There was no random luck or things left to chance or hope alone.
For a lot of it, I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and took intentional action.
I increased my chances of success by:
👉🏼 Clarity on what success really looks like for me
👉🏼 Being clear on what my strengths are
👉🏼 Knowing what I'm passionate about
👉🏼 Understanding my energy types and top motivators
👉🏼 Being open to opportunities that align with the above
👉🏼 Proactively jumping on opportunities by intentionally putting myself out there
👉🏼 Saying yes to opportunities
👉🏼 Saying no to things that do not align (yep, saying no is just as important as saying yes!)
And I treat each area of my life like this.
First, what does success look like? What is the vision? What's my ideal day consist of? Then work through the above list and so on.
It's intentional.
It's deliberate.
It's living on purpose and with purpose.
I choose what I spend my energy and time on.
I choose how I earn income.
I make deliberate decisions that align with me, my strengths and my personal circumstances. And of course, the vision my husband and I have for how we want to live our lives.
Here's some examples off the top of my head, to help you resonate in your own life:
🔹 I'd spent over 10 years in leadership roles and knew the coaching aspect was my key strength and sparked joy...
↪️ So I created a coaching business and became a Wellbeing and Career Coach (and trained and became a Certified Life Coach to hone these skills)
🔹 I love the outdoors, movement, mindfulness and leading others, and I am driven by variety, energised by being around humans, skilled at coordinating groups...
↪️ so when the opportunity to become a Trail Leader presented itself, I knew it was for me STRAIGHT AWAY because it was so aligned
🔹I knew I was passionate about promoting wellbeing AND I knew I only wanted to work part-time as an employee whilst I build my biz AND I wanted to apply my strengths in relationship management and community partnerships...
↪️ So I specifically sought out a role that ticked my boxes. My clarity about what I wanted in my career led me to successfully securing exactly what I wanted and needed in my life ✅
I have plenty of examples like this. And I'm sure you do too!
They aren't lucky things that happened TO us in our lives.
They're deliberate, intentional actions we took to make things happen FOR us in our lives.
I'm guessing that if I sat back and hoped alone, without action, without my part in these things - they wouldn't have happened. I'd be exactly where I was 5 years ago. Stuck. Exhausted. Frustrated. Feeling misaligned. Dreaming of something else. Wanting to feel lit up and be a contributor.
This stuff didn't happen overnight. It's been hard work and still is. But it's hard work that lights me up and fulfils me, which I much prefer when it comes to hard work! I'm here for the long game. My big vision. Slow progress is still progress, remember that!
And I'll tell you - I'm not going to be lucky to live my vision.
No thank you, I will not leave something as precious as my vision for my life up to luck.
Luck is for my lotto ticket, not my life!
So am I really lucky to have spent the weekend away hiking for work? Am I really lucky I can open up my laptop and do business? Am I really lucky to have landed a job I am so passionate about?
You decide...this can be an open conversation. What do you think?
Either way, I want you to hear these messages:
🌼 You can create your own opportunities.
🌼 You can design your life the way you want it.
🌼 You can make deliberate decisions that move you closer to your vision.
🌼 You don't have to have a cookie cutter life that fits in a box.
🌼 Intentional action will always beat luck.
I could go on but I'll leave it there because that last one is what I want you to remember. I learned these "messages" along my journey and I am so DRIVEN to help other people hear and believe these messages.
I've made it my mission to help people create their Life By Design ✨ so I have created a membership (group of likeminded people) all creating their own versions! This membership helps people to get really intentional about designing the life and career they really want.
If you're thinking "hmm I'd like to gain more clarity around what it is I really want" or
"I'm trying to figure out the next step in my career" or
"there's gotta be more to life, I feel like something is missing" or
"I think I might need support and accountability to help me get out of my own way and onto the great things I know I'm capable of!"
Then I'd love to give you a taste tester of my Life By Design membership. This is a snippet from the ENERGY module of the membership, all about time/energy management. How to get it? Head to COACHING then LIFE BY DESIGN section of this website and it's on there for you!
For some more info about Life By Design (and other ways we can connect) - head over here: https://balance-hq.com/life-by-design
OK that's it for today! I hope you have the happiest Friday and make sure you do something fun this weekend, something you LOVE and enjoy (don't leave it up to luck, schedule it in and make it happen!)
Much love,
Chrystal.
P.s. I'm driven by Variety and like the diversity I've created with multiple income streams and differing types of work. I thrive with my fingers in various pies, and right now, this aligns with my vision. Everyone has their own unique top drivers that motivate them to be at their best, yours isn't necessarily Variety like me. My Life By Design membership and coaching program is about discovering your uniqueness and what lights YOU up. Your strengths are different to mine, your passions are different...you get the picture!
