How to get “Lucky”

I learned everything I need to know about creating my own good luck from fishing. I like to bass fish a lot, in fact I tried my hand at making a living as a bass fisherman. Only one problem, although I am an avid amateur bass fishermen I suck as a professional. I literally fished every day for two years and never made a dime. I did however discover a few things.

It is important to be in the right place. You will catch a lot more bass in a lake with a good bass population than you will in a swimming pool, at least most swimming pools.It is difficult to catch fish when you do not have a line in the water. Your luck increases dramatically the more time you spend with your bait in front of the fish. On an average day of fishing from first light to around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, most folks will make between 800 and 1500 casts depending on the bait. (Remember my story titled “move your beans”).Most of the time the fish do not hook themselves. When you realize you are getting a bite you must make a huge concerted effort to set the hook, play the fish and reel them in. Not all hooksets result in a fish in the boat.Preparation before you get to the lake pays big dividends and allows you to maximize your time on the water. Opportunity is perishable. Everything you do to prepare your gear ahead of time means not having to do it when the clock is ticking and you are in the heat of battle.Sweet Janice says I am the luckiest guy she knows and I think she is right. These principles apply to everything we do and I use them often. Here are a few examples from the world of wood turning. Unless you are the one in a million to whom Woodturning comes naturally and intuitively there are a few things you can do to speed up the learning process.

Be In The Right Place — Spend time around people who turn wood. That means attending Woodturning club meetings, hanging out with woodturners, attending wood turning demonstrations and symposiums, spending time viewing videos weather on YouTube or commercially produced projects. Hands–on classes yielded a wealth of skill building benefits in a very short period of time.Get In The Game — I once heard a very famous Turner boast that he is self–taught. Although it worked for him, most of us are far better off spending time with a teacher/mentor who knows a lot more than we do who has faced our same challenges and is ready to share his solution. Working in a vacuum may be less stressful on occasion, but progress is often much slower.Take Action — When you spot a learning opportunity, i.e. a class, a demonstration, a meeting, you must make the effort to sign up, pay the fee, and actually show up and do the work. In other words, ask for the order, close the sale, you make it happen.Prepare Ahead Of Time — As someone who gives hundreds of “demonstrations” every year, the amount of time it takes to prepare tools, machinery, demonstration wood and other visual aids would astound most people. The preparation can be so exhausting that I sometimes question whether it is worth the effort (it always has been worth the effort).

This advice can be applied across the board whether preparing a meal, looking for a job, attending a craft fair to sell your wares, making a sales presentation to a potential client, conducting a staff meeting, giving a class report in school in front of your teacher and classmates, teaching a Sunday school class, or asking for a date. These principles are universal. And that is how you get “lucky”, because wherever you go there you are.

Here is my inspiration for this message:

Proverbs 13:4 KJV

The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.