She’s So Lucky

I used to look at people, mainly celebrities, and think wow, they are so lucky. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Jane, they are lucky! They lead glamorous lives, with personal chefs, personal shoppers, make up artists, hair stylists, nannies and housekeepers. Sounds blissful. I’m talking about when I looked at an actress who had a wildly successful acting career, a thriving clothing company, a cooking show and was fluent in French, I thought: luck. Obviously famous people do have an advantage because of their financial assets; they can launch a new company or project, with adoring fans who will immediately embrace anything associated with their name. However, we can all think of someone who had plenty of resources at their disposal, and did not succeed. I came to the realization many years ago that luck is not the answer. Successful people are not afraid to push themselves, they aren’t afraid to try new things and they are definitely not afraid to fail. These are great lessons to pass along to unsuspecting kids while riding in the car!

At the start of each school year, I deliver the exact same lecture to my kids. I ask them to give me ten percent more. I ask them to put ten percent more effort into their schoolwork and into the activities that are important to them. I do this because from year to year, school gets harder and sports get more competitive. They can’t expect to put in the same amount of effort as the year before and have positive results. If they learn to make small changes each year, eventually the pay off will be considerable, and they will feel confident making those adjustments when they are on their own. Recently I have also been encouraging my kids to get out of their comfort zone. As they head off to college and beyond, I want them to realize the world is at their fingertips. I want them to explore, examine and investigate. They need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

If I want to be successful in this stage of life, I need to heed my own advice. I’m going to have to put ten percent more effort towards the things that are of interest to me. So, what do I want to work on? I want to be a better writer. I want to have a better understanding of the rules and mechanics of writing and feel more confident about what I publish.  I also want to get better at golf. It’s something I enjoy, and after all these years at home with the kiddos, I think I’ve earned some time on the course. I want to get out of my comfort zone when it comes to cooking and finally make my own pie crust! Maybe one day someone will look at me and think, she is so lucky.

But we’ll know the secret- luck has nothing to do with it.