You don't buy a lotto ticket every day because you know that success is not about luck... yet you may be using this word every time you talk about someone's success, and in doing so you reduce your chances of being successful.

I HATE when people say "wow you're going to work from Costa Rica for 2 months... you're so lucky to be able to travel when you want", "congratulations for publishing your 3rd book... lucky you!" or even "you wife is amazing, you're lucky to be married to such a wonderful woman" because I worked bloody hard at making all this happen.

I struggled so much I can't remember all the moments I wanted to cry and give up.

I remember eating rice with butter for weeks because I couldn't afford anything else.

I've been homeless at least 5 times over the last decade and had a roof only because of friends and strangers who'd host me.

I can't count the number of calls, emails and meeting I've had with clients who said "no".

I couldn't count the number of times I've been told "why don't you get a REAL job?" and the number of times I've been told "you're not successful, how can you be a coach?" because it happened several times a day for years... and it still happens today!

I've stuck through all of it because I couldn't give up.

I've worked my ass off... for many years over 12h a day, 7 days a week.

I've learned to shut up and listen... a hard task for someone who was paid to talk!!

I've accepted my mistakes and folded my ego to be small enough to fit in my back pocket...

I've learned to say sorry what I am wrong...

I've changed over and over again...

And every time I fell, I stood back up and tried again!!

And everyone I know who's been successful as a HUMAN BEING and whom I look up to has gone through their version of struggles and growth. It may "seem" like they've been lucky, but really, they've work hard... very hard!

Remove luck(y) from your vocabulary because it discourages you to put in the hard work that you need to get a break through. Using the word luck(y) focuses your attention on what you can't control.

If you believe your success depends on luck then there is no point to do anything differently than you are doing now because LUCK will take care of everything... or not!

Thomas Jefferson said 'I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it'

1. How many additional hours of work do you want to invest in being lucky?
2. What can you do to work SMARTER?
3. What will you do differently now that you have read this article?
   

Answer these three questions and you will be a step closer to the success you want to achieve.