You know, I often hear people say to me, "You're so lucky!" when I post pictures of or explain to them about places I've gone, people I've met, and experiences I've had. I try to tell them that it isn't all luck. It takes a lot of hard work to save enough money to do these things and have these experiences. Yes, a little bit of it is luck, and being in the right place at the right time, but I also work hard for what I have and what I attempt to do in life.
I always think about The Dark Knight, and how Harvey Dent has the double-headed coin...He makes his own luck. I like to think that I do the same. I'm trying to at least. I always want to put myself in the position to succeed - and if I do, great! If not, well, it's just another failure to add to the list of learning experiences.
I have lucked out in many things in my life. I grew up in a loving family, with a mom who still lets me live at home. I have had the opportunity to not only travel extensively over the past three to four years, but I have also met some of the people that I respect and look up to the most. I have met amazing friends from around the world by simply using social media. Pretty lucky to find such amazing friends, right?
I have had my fair share of bad luck as well. As you know from previous blog entries, my dad died when I was twelve years old. Sometimes bad things happen to you and to people you love, and you just have to sit there and cry. It's okay to be sad because things don't work out or because bad things happen. I have missed out on some pretty great experiences because I haven't been able to work my life around them. It's okay that those things happened, because they always teach me something.
I am a firm believer in working hard to achieve what you want. When I see people who constantly have things handed to them, I almost feel sorry for them, because they don't know what it feels like to truly accomplish something that you have worked hard toward. They also will have no idea how to deal when a true crisis comes along. Luckily (ha there's that word again) for me, I have a lot of experience in this area.
A couple of years ago, I set some pretty unrealistic goals. I know now that they are unattainable - and that's okay. I just have to figure out how to set goals for myself and make sure they are attainable, but not too easy to get. After all, what's the point in setting goals if you don't make them attainable to you? Also, just because you set a goal, doesn't mean it will be achieved. It's a harsh reality that we live it, but we can't all be lucky enough to achieve everything we set out to do.
I think that as humans, we always are left wanting more - needing more fulfillment from life. And what exactly is a fulfilled life? So far, mine is pretty lonely when it comes to romance. And that's okay too. I guess I'm just not lucky with the 'love' thing. Maybe my time will come, and maybe it won't. I have to be able to rely on myself, you know? However, I have a pretty full life when it comes to people to love, and people who love you. In that regard, I am incredibly lucky.
This year, I have tried to really set my expectations for myself much lower. I'm still in school working on my masters degree. I'm still living in Michigan. I'm still here, even though I'm not sure what my purpose is yet. I wonder about that constantly, and whether or not my luck will change when it comes to different aspect of my life.
There's no secret to becoming or being lucky. There's no secret to being happy all the time. Everyone is on a different path of life, and I am so grateful every day that I wake up and am able to experience what life has to offer. Maybe this blog post is coming from the fact that I am still on cloud nine from what happened to me this past weekend, I'm not sure. All I know is that I want to spread the joy that I'm feeling from that moment - even when I'm sad because I definitely miss my friends that I just saw in San Diego.
Damn, do I feel lucky in this life. I have been blessed to be surrounded by people who don't only love and care about me, but they encourage me to go for my dreams and take leaps of faith. It's important to remember that luck only gets you so far. Hard work and perseverance takes you the rest of the way. What's life without a little struggle in it, anyway?
