You got to be lucky!

by Ronnie Apteker

I once heard a great entrepreneur tell me that making money is about 10% seichel and 90% mazel. Yes, this wise old Jewish man told me that making money is more about luck than anything else. In fact, he went on to say that those who use less seichel (brains) always tend to make more money. It really is so much about mazel (luck), and as I grow older I believe this more and more.

J. Paul Getty was once asked about his great success. He said that the secret is to wake up early, work hard, and find oil! One thing is for sure, the more you dig, the more you get closer to the oil. Luck favours the persistent. As Gary Player once said “The more I practice the luckier I get.”

Positive energy has a big influence on luck. People that are positive tend to think more rationally. They tend to see the bigger picture. The decisions they make are more insightful. And the end result is more victorious. Some may speak about karma or they may use that old saying “what goes around comes around”. One thing is for sure, people that smile a lot tend to be luckier. People who laugh and share tend to win more.

I believe that there is a way to change one’s luck. Yes, you have to work hard, and you have to take chances, but it is not all about being smart. You can be very smart and also be very unlucky. You have to want it. You have to have faith and you have to be totally committed. It needs to come from inside your soul. It needs to come from your heart. And it needs to be something you love. You can’t fake it.

I have been very lucky in my life. I do work non-stop and I do love what I do. It doesn’t always love me back, but I am driven and I never give up. But, I do always try treat everyone the same, with respect, with kindness, with grace. The more I do this the more things seem to fall into place. I think the best way to sum this all up is with another old saying: the best way to receive is to give.

If you want to be luckier start being kinder. Start giving more. Ok, one last quote for today. This is a wise expression that I only started to fully understand in the past few years. Read this one a few times. It carries an important message: "When I was young, I admired clever people. As I grew old I came to admire kind people." - Abraham Joshua Heschel