Chance as a Lover of Preparedness

‘Chances’ are fascinating. They are the possibility of something happening. More often, it lifts its head in something we desire, the kind we long for. That is the most viable time we get to hear about chances and luck.

They are one of those things we’d like to get more and more of. More chances. First chance, second chance, all the way. “If only I could get the chance to… ” (fill in the gaps).

Like time, chances – at times referred to as luck – is a given to any man as long as you draw breath. There are no absolutes or standards attached to it, they are dynamically relative.

Each one and everyone gets an equal measure of chance in whichever area of life they apply themselves. What creates the difference between one who gets the chance and one who doesn’t is their level of PREPAREDNESS. How prepared one is determines the acclimatization of chances or luck to a greater degree.

This means that you have a higher probability of meeting luck/chance in an area of life if you are well prepared or still working on it than when you are aimlessly drifting through life.

...you have a higher probability of meeting luck/chance in an area of life if you are well prepared or still working on it than when you are aimlessly drifting through life. 

Here’s what Solomon, the wisest human who lived (then) once said:

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11

In all his previous years of lack, training, and later on, favor, wisdom, and sumptuous living, when he had whatever he wanted, he concluded that these two – time and chance – sustained their balance to each man.

However, having an equal claim to chance doesn’t promise equal returns in regard to success in life. No. An increase in probability is influenced by how we are when we receive that chance. How prepared we are.

Louis Pasteur, a qualified chemist, who was behind the most important scientific revolutions of the 19th century in the fields of biology, agriculture, medicine, and hygiene shares the same philosophy. Beginning his research on crystallography, he soon embarked on a journey filled with discoveries that led him to develop the rabies vaccine. A vaccine that has since saved countless lives.

What was the key difference between him and his associates? – Preparation.

Luck, or chance follows after a conscious consistent readiness for use or consideration. When we focus on what we desire, consistently pursue it, keep failing forward, finding new ways to enjoy the journey, and keep alive our vision, chance or luck will happen.

Often, only luck appears visible to all others but us since we are gravely aware of what we had to go through to get there. When a chance of getting promoted appears when you have remained diligent in your work, the chance will be your friend. If it happens to come when you decide to wear a robe of complacency and do only the minimum work possible, chance will be your enemy.

Getting out of your comfort zone requires a hunger for the unusual. A longing for the extraordinary, the strange, and the abnormal. Remaining with the common and ordinary prepares a good ground for laxity. Being a killer of many great minds this is a landmine we should endeavour to avoid.

Therefore, take calculated risks, try new things, and delve into the possibilities available. As long as you can do something about it, go on and make it a goal. Let luck find you ready or facing its direction. Let chance be your boost rather than wait for it to act as a starter, probability is you will wait forever.

Ideally, if you fear failure, avoiding risks will be your best option. That’ll promise a life of no losses. On the flip side, you won’t have any triumphs in your name.

Recently, I have come to love boxing, – thanks to the main character Ippo Makunouchi in “Hajime no Ippo” a Japanese boxing-themed manga series written and illustrated by George Morikawa. To win, you have to get into the boxing ring. You go expecting only one thing -fists from your opponent. Nothing else. You face direct opposition. No games. No escape. You only get out of the ring as a winner or a loser. Period. Black and White.

Here is Ippo Makunouchi courtesy of Hajime no Ippo.

For a risk-taker, getting into the ring is a no-brainer. They have a chance to win. By the act of getting into the ring, their odds rise from 0% to 50%. On the other hand, the opposite is true for an unadventurous soul. No thought of entering the ring would not even cross their minds. Their odds of winning remain at 0%. Their rule is simple too – avoid risks, equally, avoid the ring. They are assured of something alright – not winning.

Richard M. Nixon, the 37th president of the United States summarized it better;

If you take no risks, you will suffer no defeats. But if you take no risks, you win no victories.

And so, the chances are universal, available even at this juncture of your life. Yet, it only has its powerful effect on moving visions, not stagnant ones. It has special predilections for preparation.

...chances are universal, available even at this juncture of your life. Yet, it only has its powerful effect on moving visions, not stagnant ones. It has special predilections for preparation.

Here is Dale Carnegie summarizing this for us: