Believe in Luck?

I went to bed thinking about PT Barnum's life after writing yesterday's blog, and one thought struck me.

In the speech he gave throughout Europe and the US to catapult himself from bankruptcy to his second fortune, he made one telling comment.

(Incidentally, his bankruptcy came from guaranteeing loans to a clock company he was trying to get to set up a factory in the town where he was Mayor - imagine that happening today!)

Anyway, in his speech he quotes the original Rothschild - the one who built the renowned fortune.

"Never have anything to do with an unlucky man or place."

Barnum goes on to say that there is no such thing as luck.

"If a man adopts the proper methods to be successful, 'luck' will not prevent him.

"If he does not succeed, there are reasons for it, although perhaps he may not be able to see them."

Kind of like the famous French soldier Napoleon. Whenever he was considering a shortlist of officers to promote, no matter how well qualified they were, his deciding questions was always:

"But is he lucky?"

To my mind, it's a mindset. You can think yourself lucky.

There are a couple of approaches outlined at these sites:
http://www.luckfactor.co.uk/
http://www.moreluck.com/