Luck:
Success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions.
— Google dictionary
Luck is a strange thing and the word only came into existence in the 12th century, when cultivated food and land started to become a competitive commodity.
To understand why we all crave luck so much or are desperate to get lucky in anything we do, we need to look deeper into something called self-actualization.
The Pyramid of Needs
Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who brought this idea into the world that we can slot in the different desires and needs that the human race needs bottom up into a 2d Pyramid or simply put a triangle.
It is called Maslow’s pyramid of needs. It goes something like this from the bottom up:
(I) First, there are psychological needs, (II) then there are safety needs, (III) followed by love and belonging, (IV) then comes esteem and (V) finally self-actualization.
Now the part that no one tries to question or maybe buries the thought is — the “self-actualization” being at the very top of the pyramid. That indirectly tells us that self-fulfilment should be the final destination in our journey full of pursuits for things that help us live in this modern society.
Thats’ not flawed, but a bit outdated in this era where you can do ten things every day, each activity satisfying different areas of needs you have. Every profession, skill, training or chore has boring, dull and unvaried parts but at the same time also has revetting parts which leave us feeling fulfilled and significant.
Why then should we resort to prioritizing self-actualization at the very end? Why not list out the things that make us feel involved, put us in the flow state and motivate us to wake up in the morning and then do those things on a daily basis?
Well, Jordon Peterson, a clinical psychologist puts this idea in a subtle yet impactful way, saying:
“The purpose of life, as far as I can tell… is to find a mode of being that’s so meaningful that the fact that life is suffering is no longer relevant.”
That statement inherently promotes the idea of prioritizing things we want to do that make us feel significant, unbothered and flamboyant, regardless of how effortful or difficult they may be. Being cognizant of the activities, ideas or relationships that help elevate our mood is the best way to navigate our days, weeks, years and life for that matter.
Contrarily, leaning on luck and letting the serendipity of our everyday lives bring us fulfilment and meaningfulness is a subsidized way of living in my opinion.
Cultivating Luck
And that brings us to the next thing that influences how we think of self-actualization.
In the context of self-actualization, the concept of “luck” plays a significant role in shaping our perspective. Many people believe that luck, or random chance, plays a crucial part in determining the course of our lives and whether we achieve self-actualization. This belief often leads to a passive approach, where individuals wait for fortunate circumstances or opportunities to come their way.
However, relying solely on luck is a flawed mindset. While chance occurrences can certainly have an impact, true self-actualization requires proactive engagement and intentional decision-making. It is about taking responsibility for our own lives and actively pursuing activities and goals that align with our passions and values.
By recognizing that self-fulfilment and meaningfulness can be found through purposeful actions, we can shift our focus from relying on luck to (cringe trivial statement coming up!!) creating our own luck.
Although this is something very raw and cringe-worthy, this involves identifying and pursuing activities and experiences that bring us joy, satisfaction, and a sense of purpose. It means embracing challenges and putting in the effort to cultivate our skills and talents.
In simple terms cultivating luck simply means bumping up your involvement in more activities, be it in the realm of your career, hobby or business.
The more you are involved in several aspects of the thing you are pursuing the more your chances to get lucky. And that gives momentum as well. Momentum will help you cultivate more luck, and soon you will realize luck was nothing but a cumulative of all the outliers from your past actions.
In this view, self-actualization becomes an ongoing, dynamic process rather than a distant destination. It is about continuously seeking and embracing opportunities for personal growth, learning, and self-discovery. By actively participating in activities that align with our intrinsic motivations and bring us a sense of fulfilment, we can transcend the notion of luck and shape our own path towards self-actualization.
