SOUND MATTERS with Tom Leu

Entertaining Matters in Music & Entertainment

SMM: Just Got Lucky

Photo by Tom Leu

Everyone’s heard the aphorism: Be careful what you wish for… you just might get it.

Some call it “getting lucky.” Others call it hard work.


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Sometimes it’s a little bit of both as indicated by the equation:

Luck = Preparation + Opportunity.

I agree with this formula, BUT… it’s also important to understand that opportunities that you’re unprepared for aren’t really opportunities. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. You need to be honest about how prepared you really are before eagerly pursuing any available opportunities.

However… sometimes you find out that what you wish for (and end up getting), isn’t really what you wanted after all.

Melodic vocal master Don Dokken got lucky in 1981 when a fortuitous trip to Germany to sing backing vocals for the Scorpions resulted in a record deal. Fast foward about 8 years through the heyday of the hair metal movement, and the multi-platinum band imploded due to Dokken’s and lead guitarist George Lynch’s volatile relationship. The acrimony still exists to this day despite their intermittent reunions over the years… Sometimes you have to wonder if a nice pay day is really enough to be stuck in a situation that sucks the life out of you…?

the shiFt:

> Recognize that once on the inside looking out, the reality of some situations sometimes pales in comparison to the fantasy.

> Positioning yourself to be able to say “no,” or at least, “not right now” is a powerful place from which to operate.

> Nobody wins when people are impulsively reacting with a scarcity mentality, as opposed to proactively deciding with a certainty mentality. It’s the difference between leading and following; between being a chump or a champ.

> That said, resist the temptation to believe that any tough experiences you’ve been through were all for nothing. Hardly.

> Even if the end-result isn’t what you thought it was going to be, you’re usually better off for the experience… for the learning. Because learning is the luck to long for…

Understand that the earned experience of now knowing is much more valuable than not knowing, and IS the “luck” that lasts.

And that’s truly how most of us can say… We just got lucky…

“What can you do when your dreams come true | And it’s not quite like you planned?” ~ The Eagles

Stay tuned-in…


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SMM: I Don't Care Anymore

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