Luck, Luck-i-ty, Luck, Luck, Luck

7-7-07 was one of the most popular days ever for weddings. Now either there were a lot of grooms-to-be looking for an easy to remember aniversary date, or people believed that the date will bring them luck. Which I think is a little odd. How much different could 7-7-07 have been from 7-14-07? Will the same people try to plan the birth of their first born on 8-8-08?

A little more than a week and a half ago, it was Friday the 13th. I don’t believe in supersitions, generally.1 But the mere fact that many rational adults believe that Friday the 13th is unlucky makes me nervous. Because I do believe that people typicallly get what they expect.

Having spent numerous hours on golf courses I think I know a thing or two about luck. Often, a fraction of an inch separates a great shot from a poor one. A small hop here, a kick off a tree there, or a nudge from a spike-mark can change an acceptable shot into an awful one and visa-versa. Once a golf ball leaves the club face all you can do is hope and pray that the fates treat you kindly. Each shot is more or less half skill, half luck.2

Just to be clear, I do not believe luck to be some grand mystical force. In my mind luck is little more than post-event interpretation. Two different people can experience the same occurence and one of them will find the silver-lining and consider themselves lucky, while the other would curse the result.

Now I know what you are thinking... some people are just “luckier” than others. This may be true, but I believe it has nothing to do with fate or an inate “luckiness” or “unluckiness.” Instead, I think it is more about selective memory and self-seggestion.

All people fall somewhere between naive, irrational optimism on one hand, and obessive negativity on the other. I know people, and I’m sure you do as well, who simply cannot accept a compliment or enjoy their hard-earned success. They make their way through life with a dark cloud above their heads. They are “unlucky” because while they obsess aboout the near misses, bad breaks, and embarrassing follies; they quickly forget moments of good fortune. They think they are “unlucky” and only remember the worst moments.

While a little more rare, I’m sure you also know a few positive or “lucky” individuals. They seem happy and at ease. Good things generally happen to them, and they revel in their success.

I’m always surprised by the strength of the feedback-loop. You get what you expect. So maybe I'm wrong and 7-7-07 will turn out to be one of the “luckiest” days ever to have been married. But I’m not going to bet on it.

Good luck everyone.

1. I do however, believe it is bad idea to talk about winning a bet before it is offical. And as Carol learned over the 4th, I like to load my own dice box when playing Yatzee.

2. Obviously, the better the golfer, the less luck is involved.