Luck Is All You Need
Welcome back to Mid-Week Meditations , Lifehacker’s weekly dive into the pool of stoic wisdom and how you can use its waters to meditate and improve your life.
This week we learn a little more wisdom from Marcus Aurelius. He has an interesting take on bad luck.
Be like a rocky promontory about which waves are constantly breaking. He stands firm and the seething waters subside around him.
“I’m not lucky it happened to me.” No, you better say, “I am lucky that although this happened to me, I can endure it without pain, not crushed by the present and not afraid of the future.” Because this could happen to any man, but not every man could bear it without pain. So why should you see more unhappiness in this event than luck in your ability to endure it? … So, in all future events that may cause sadness, do not forget to invoke this principle: “This is not unhappiness, but being true to yourself is luck.” – Meditations 4.49
What does it mean
Scientists speculate that the “rocky promontory” actually refers to a passage from Homer ‘s Iliad , which describes the Achaean ships repelling Hector’s attack. But this does not change the basic meaning, which is confronting opposing forces – like seemingly random adversity.
Aurelius invites you to rethink the moments when you feel like you are faced with “failure.” Instead of complaining and lamenting your unhappiness, show gratitude that you were able to withstand such an event. For you are, in fact, lucky. After all, others would not have been able to win …
What to take from there
When something bad happens to you – be it something small, like dropping and breaking your phone, or something more serious, like getting into a car accident – stay mentally strong and withstand his attack on your character. Opt for silver lining searches and feel lucky that you even have the opportunity. Then, when you find her shimmering in sorrow, grab hold of her. Make your glass, so to speak, “half full.”
Now I understand that “always looking on the bright side” is not very helpful in itself, but it can be if you apply it correctly. If you can find a way to let go of the anger, sadness, and other emotions that cloud your mind when bad luck comes along, you can stop, reflect, and see the opposite — see how lucky you really are. You are out of luck that you dropped your phone, yes, but you are lucky that you just hacked the screen or that it didn’t end up in a storm drain. You are lucky that you could afford something so pleasant to start with. You are out of luck to have been to the crane, but you are very lucky that you survived after it happened, or that no one else was hurt. You can handle the negative effects of these experiences, so when they happen, take a healthy sip of gratitude .
When you show perseverance, you turn bad luck into good luck. Or at least better luck. You will find a way to close the gap and lessen the pain. Remember, things can be much, much worse. You’re always lucky it’s not.