I didn’t think about my own luck when I was in the midst of my career.
Most things didn’t go my way and I worked almost all the time. Where was the luck in that?
I hoped that working hard and being savvy would create more opportunities.
I didn’t feel fortunate at all for a long time. But I can see how I was building my “luck factor.”
Here are the two biggest things that I worked hard to be ready for, but were truly very lucky moments for me:
1) I graduated from the University of Iowa in 1987 and came back to the Chicago area to look for a job. Nothing seemed interesting to me and I wasn’t interesting enough to get hired.
My best friend Joe said, “Come work with me at this software retail store while you’re looking for a real job.” I didn’t know about software and sales, but I was grateful and jumped in.
This was Egghead Software at the very beginning of the commercial software industry boom. It was the perfect time for a misfit to catch a big wave.
I was an honors student in a suit selling software for 12 hours a day on my feet. Most people thought retail wasn’t very cool.
But I was “Greg Head from Egghead” and was all in. True story.
Very lucky for me. Thanks, Joe!
2) I moved to Dallas when I was 27 to work with a small software company (ACT!).
I was still single but trying in vain not to be.
Then a beautiful, smart brunette moved into the apartment next to me. She had a dog that liked me. Her name was Felicia.
This year Felicia and I will celebrate our 29th anniversary.
I literally married “the girl next door” and it was the luckiest day of my life.
I still think we make most of our own luck.
I don’t assume I’ll be lucky at all.
But there’s clearly luck in there and I’m grateful for it!
How do you see your own “luck factor?”
Greg Head posted this on LinkedIn on February 2, 2022. Check out the comments and join the discussion.Â
