How to Feel Lucky
Once upon a time, I almost won a lucrative retainership. The writing job would’ve paid so well that I would’ve devoted all my time to it. Unfortunately, out of the final three candidates, I lucked out.
More Bad Luck
Interestingly enough, at the same time this happened, I ended up spilling a full ashtray on my laptop. I stood in horror for a few seconds while taking in the scene: tiny bits of ash all over my keyboard.
Recovering from the shock, I quickly moved to clean off the dirt. It took a while, but eventually I stripped every last molecule of ash from my laptop. I had it looked at the next day just to be on the safe side.
All’s Well That Ends Well
After going through all this, I realized that I was no longer thinking about my failure to secure that perfect gig. The dirty keyboard was an immediate concern. As I use my laptop to make a living, I desperately moved to save it. And that had more benefits than simply protecting my primary income-generating asset.
In retrospect, I realized that my accidental spill, while bad, made me focus on what was important. True, I didn’t get that job. But I easily forgot that failure, because circumstances made me concentrate on more crucial things. In other words, I was forced to think about what I already had, rather than dwell on what could have been.
In short, the lesson learned here is that even if things may not go your way, it’s not the end of the world. While I may have missed out on a grand opportunity, I’m still alive, I am still creative, and I can still earn money doing what I really want to do. Hopefully, it doesn’t require an accident for you to realize how lucky you are.
Has anything bad happened to you recently? Did it help you have a clearer picture of what was going your way?
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POSTED IN: Ramblings of a Freelancer
4 opinions for How to Feel Lucky
Alexei
Jul 8, 2008 at 11:08 pm
After I had my car’s tank filled to the brim, it was only then that I realized that gas shot up to frightening levels when I was away (i was still on 50 bucks a pop). Then, i suddenly had a vision of me walking to work every day. Which im doing right now so I wont have to spend 3grand on a full tank evvvveeeeeerrrrrr!
Rico
Jul 9, 2008 at 9:55 am
Ah yes, adaptability at it’s finest. Now I have to kill you, for being able to walk to work! :P
becky
Jul 11, 2008 at 11:22 pm
My job didn’t want to let me work part-time or telecommute so I could spend some time with my son, so I had to quit. I was really upset that they didn’t work with me on it. But I started concentrating on the good, like more time to freelance, more flexibility, less stress. And now I’m glad it happened that way. Better things are coming!
Rico
Jul 13, 2008 at 6:06 am
And of course, the best part is getting to spend more time with you son! :)
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