How did we get here?

Luck never gives; it only lends. — Swedish proverb

Life has funny lines. They divide moments of "aha!" from "huh?". They separate moments of magic from moments that are just a good time. And there are times when we stumble on luck, or maybe luck stumbles on us. It sticks around for a while and we think we've hit the jackpot. Somewhere along the line the shine dulls a bit and so ends the honeymoon period of a new venture.

This happened to me recently and I began to question whether or not I was in the right place with the right people. That familiar old flight response began to kick in, to take hold. The I took a deep breathe, kept at what I was doing, and when I finished I went home. I went to bed, woke up, and started again. There are hard days ahead; there will be tough decisions. Not everyone will be happy with the outcome.

After the honeymoon period ends, we really get down to it. Luck enters our lives, and falls away. It's the falling away that contains the real learnings, about ourselves, about those around us. We discover our sense of commitment and loyalty. The incredible part comes when we see luck fall away and keep going in spite of it. And then it returns, as mysteriously as it left us in the first place. You have to wonder, is luck ever really there at all or is it our dedication that breeds good fortune? We aren't giving ourselves enough credit. Rather than attributing favorable circumstance to luck, we should consider how hard we worked to get where we are.