How to Create Your Own Luck

“You guys are lucky you live way out in the country with this coronavirus thing going on.”

Trust me, I’ve heard this more than once from family and friends who live in urban areas.  At the time of this post, most of the world is under the shadow of a really scary and deadly virus.  None of us have any idea what will happen or how long it will last.  But back to living in the country.

In 2014, after 14 years of living in a crowded cul-de-sac with nosey neighbors, and in one of the largest counties in MD, I, out of frustration, began looking for property in Tennessee.  My business can run from anywhere and my wife was ready to start a new career so it was perfect timing.  We finally settled on our current location and closed at the end of 2014.  We have 32 acres with no neighbors in sight.  I love the peace and quiet.  But the other reason I wanted to move was so that if there ever was either a run on the banks, a global pandemic, or a zombie apocalypse, I wanted to have lots of space around me. 

Now there are some downsides to this.  We have terrible internet coverage.  For the first year, I had to make phone calls down at the post office until Verizon put up a cell tower.  It takes me nearly 3 hours each week in the Spring and Summer to cut the grass (and that’s on a fast, zero-turn mower), not to mention being 25 minutes from the closest grocery store.

But I have to admit that today, I feel pretty safe and secure out here.

It wasn’t luck, just some out-of-the-box planning.

And no, please don’t call me a prepper. I am not.

But that’s what luck really is I think.  It’s decisions that you make today that will pay off in the future.

• If you invested in Amazon years ago, people would call you lucky today.
• If you invested in Tesla years ago, people would call you lucky.
• If you set up an emergency bank account years ago, people would call you lucky.

Luck is something you create.  It’s not just something the Irish have.

This week, think about what you can do today to be better prepared and successful tomorrow. 

On this somber St. Paddy’s day, maybe we should all create some of our own luck.