The Five Opportunities of Good Fortune
Don’t wait for good fortune but welcome it when it knocks.
Jay Elliot became a Sr. VP at Apple because he struck up a conversation with a stranger in the waiting area of a restaurant. The stranger was Steve Jobs. (The full story is in the book, “The Steve Jobs Way.”)
5 opportunities of good fortune:
- Humility. Fools take credit for unexpected benefits.
- Gratitude. Few things are more lovely than someone saying, “I’ve been fortunate.”
- Responsibility. How will you advantage others with your own good fortune?
- Generosity. Hoarding your advantages shrinks your soul.
- Compassion. You honor good fortune when you share it. The weight of holding what you have shrinks life.
What if good fortune neglects you?
5 advantages of disadvantage:
#1. Wisdom.
You learn wisdom in the dark chapters of life. In that sense, disadvantage is advantageous.
“For these two things are, as it were, at opposite poles – good fortune and good sense; that is why we are wiser when in the midst of adversity. It is prosperity that takes away our righteousness (moral integrity).” Seneca
Success gives the illusion of brilliance.
#2. Compassion.
Those who suffer well are tender toward those who suffer.
#3. Growth.
Bitterness makes you rigid and brittle. The other side of rigidity is openness. Disappointment enables growth when it opens your heart.
#4. Humility.
Difficulties are opportunities when you realize you could be wrong. Doubt that paralyzes defeats. But a dash of doubt sweetens life.
#5. Creativity.
You find advantage in difficulty when you explore new methods. You can rage against troubles, or you can get creative.
What are some opportunities of good fortune?
Which advantage of adversity do you find most interesting?
With adversity you gain so much insight and wisdom. Everyone has a different life path and when we get together to discuss lessons learned, together we can achieve so much more than if you went on this journey alone.
Love this — I too have a “right time and place” story that extended years into my future and shaped a big piece of who I am. The understanding that hard times provide a shaping/refining is (in my view) foundational to a satisfying life.
The Stockdale Paradox also came to mind…
Claiming credit for good fortune generally identifies and individual who also shirks blame for failure. A trend you see in politicians.
Keeping an open mind is usually the ticket to gaining advantage of good fortune. How many times does someone think “its too good to be true” and gets stuck in paralysis. Keep and open mind, accept a little risk, dont be afraid to try and fail – all the keys to unlocking good fortune.