Catching the Winds of Luck ...

A recent Stanford University LinkedIn post featuring Tina Seelig, executive director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars, offered a helpful distinction:

Fortune is what happens to you.

Luck is what you help create.

That thought stayed with me.

We often think of luck as something random — a surprise, a chance encounter, an unexpected opening. But Seelig uses the image of wind: opportunities for luck are like the wind, constantly blowing, always moving, powerful but invisible. To catch them, we need a sail.

And before the sail, we need a ship.

That means doing the internal work first — preparing ourselves, building character, sharpening skills, cultivating readiness, and setting the stage for what may come.

Then we need a crew, because luck seldom sails solo. Many doors open through people: mentors, friends, colleagues, encouragers, and those who journey with us. Very few meaningful opportunities are caught alone.

Finally, we need to hoist the sail. Preparation and relationships matter, but there comes a moment when we must act — step forward, take initiative, watch the conditions, and become attentive to the winds around us.

But one more thing is needed: a compass.

A ship may be strong, the crew may be faithful, and the sail may catch the wind — but without a compass, movement can become drifting. Opportunity alone is not enough. We also need direction: a clear work goal, a life purpose, a sense of calling, and the wisdom to know where we are heading.

This is where fortune and luck meet: we cannot control every wind that blows, and we cannot decide exactly when the wind will come. But we can control our preparedness, choose the right crew, stay ready, watch the conditions, and decide when to hoist the sail.

In that sense, luck is not simply waiting for something good to happen. It is preparing the vessel, gathering the crew, raising the sail at the right time, checking the compass, and moving forward toward a set goal.

For me, this also echoes a deeper spiritual truth. We do not command the wind, and we do not control every circumstance. But we are called to be faithful, prepared, discerning, and ready when God opens a way.

Sometimes opportunity is not a door suddenly appearing.

Sometimes it is a wind already blowing — waiting for a prepared ship, a faithful crew, a raised sail, and a compass pointing the way.

Inspired by Stanford University’s LinkedIn post featuring Tina Seelig on catching the winds of opportunity and why luck starts with us.

We cannot command the wind, but we can prepare the ship, gather the crew, raise the sail, check the compass, and move toward the goal when the wind begins to blow.

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.” — John Chapter 3 verse 8

#FortuneAndLuck #OpportunityAndReadiness #LeadershipJourney #FaithAndWisdom