It's time to stop calling people lucky.
According to Webster, "luck" is defined as the things that happen to a person because of chance or the accidental way things happen without being planned. And let's just be honest; at one point or another, we've all referred to someone as having tons of it.
You know: the one who seems to be climbing to the top at a fast pace, has more success flocking to them than the lint on your old senior class T-shirt and effortlessly ticks off all of life's check boxes because, well, #goals.
About those challenges this person faces, the hardest part of their day seems to be...
Wait, there isn't one. According to what we perceive on Instagram, their life looks perfect and awesome things just happen to them with minimal effort on their part.
But, let's pause and hop back into reality for a minute, can we?
Because the people I know who have some amazing things happening in their lives right now didn't obtain them by rolling dice and hoping for the best. Because even some of the opportunities I've received just this year alone didn't fall haphazardly in my lap while sitting in boat pose in yoga. Because according to the definition of "work," it takes a lot of that stuff to become what many would call, "lucky."
There's just no such thing as luck when it comes to pursuing goals, and here's why the phrase "you're so lucky" should go away forever:
1. There's a big difference between luck and success.
Luck is what happens when you strike it rich in Vegas on hot, hot penny after 30 minutes and a cocktail. It happens as you're running to your gate to catch a flight and you end up getting a last minute upgrade to first class. Or what about when you're in the drive-thru at Chic-Fil-A during lunch and you order the last lemonade before they run out? Now that's some luck right there.
Success on the other hand is just different. It's the result of weeks, months and years of intentional effort and hard work. Success is what happens after many doors close, you hear more "nos" in a day than you'd like and you're almost on the verge of giving up. Success is what happens after countless weekends of trading in boozy brunches for pecking away at a keyboard like it's your job but there's not a single check coming in. It's the feeling of accomplishment you get when you receive a promotion at work or you finally start walking in your purpose.
And in the words of Eddie Cantor, "It takes 20 years to become an overnight success."
Eddie said it all. I can hush now. Thank you Eddie.
2. Being lucky insinuates people just roll out of bed into a golden pot of success every morning.
As much as sliding down a colorful rainbow into a pot of gold with my girls sounds like my kind of Saturday afternoon, life just isn't always a Lucky Charms commercial and the grind is far from magically delicious at times.
Everyone, from your childhood friend, a celebrity in a magazine or a random person on your Instagram feed has a story and faces hardships. You never know what someone gave up in order to pursue a goal and it takes an incredible amount of faith to keep going even at times when you feel like your work is in vain.
3. You want the success but can you afford the upkeep?
Once you reach a certain level of success, the maintenance of it can be even more stressful. Imagine the constant pressure of trying to be better than your last film or book. The desire to continuously improve is a challenge in and of itself. One that many don't realize come with living on Lucky Lane.
4. You never know the issues people face privately.
Bottom line: Everyone goes through shit. Everyone.
5. It can be interpreted as if you can't create your own "luck" too.
The majority of the time, "You're so lucky" is often followed by "I wish I could do that!" or "You're living my dream life!" but let's be clear: We all have the power to create the life we want to live no matter how conventional or unconventional that dream life is.
The only difference between the person who is busy living a seemingly "luck"-filled life and someone whose living society's dream while sitting in a stuffy cubicle under fluorescent lights is, that lucky person loved their dreams so much they decided to wake up and make them a reality. The difference is that person experienced fear, doubt and worry, but decided to go for it anyway.
Want to be "lucky" too? Get to work.
This post originally appeared on Jaimee's travel and inspirational blog, This Way North.
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