As I crossed the bridge on my way from the train station to the college, the comedic irony of the situation made me burst into laughter. At the end of the bridge was a panhandler, asking for money and, as a very attractive woman approached him wearing what would be illegal in many states, he put down his cup, he looked her square in the eyes and said, “Hey, Baby, how YOU doing!?” As if she would (at that moment) have the realization that her efforts to make the world a more beautiful place had just then, in that instance, been realized by her one true prince charming and that her life would then be complete. She breezed right by him and he went back to work. After seeing this, I reached into my pocket, took out a five-dollar bill and placed it in his cup because I appreciated this man’s gusto! He knew that, in life, there was no luck. He knew that if you want something in life…you have to go out and get it (okay, maybe he just did what other men were thinking because he had nothing else to lose but I still appreciated his tenacity!).

I don’t tell this story to make light of the homeless situation or anyone less fortunate than myself. In fact, at that moment I felt a kindred spirit to this man. He stepped out, took a chance in the hope that something would happen. Many of us wait for opportunity to knock or “Lady Luck” to smile upon us when trying to reach a goal but luck is what we manifest for ourselves through stepping up, standing out and staying gold.

Stepping Up
Anything great I’ve ever accomplished in my life has come by stepping up and doing something different – through taking a chance and getting outside of my comfort zone. This isn’t always easy, is it? I’m just like every other human out there. I love the homeostasis of life. I like my routines, my rituals, and my schedules. The perpetual motion of my routines has given way to ruts, only seeing things the way they’ve always been or even the fear of failing. Sound familiar? I get past this by looking at what I want upwards, downwards, backwards and then taking the risk and making a step in that direction. I don’t always succeed but that one step gives the momentum needed to overcome languidness of life and on to bigger and better things.

Standing Out
The goals I have been able to reach in my life are the culmination of all the people that helped me along the way. Those people couldn’t have helped me if they didn’t know what I was doing. Standing out requires us to let others know what we’re trying to accomplish and allowing them to help. This has always been my greatest challenge. It may be my ego or my want to control the universe but I have had to learn to let go, get over it, and let people help me. The more brainpower and momentum something gets the more power it has. I liken it to a snowball going down a big hill. It starts out small but gathers more mass (and momentum) as it rolls down. Standing out and allowing others to be a part of our effort does the same thing. The more mass, the more we’ll get done. Get over it! Stand out and let other know what can be done and what they can do to help. Yes, people want to help!

Staying Gold
People have always told me how lucky I am. I guess, on the outside, it may appear that way. I maintain that it is all about staying gold – that the appearance of everything looking like it just comes my way, is more about my gold attitude than it is of anything else. Regardless of how bad the situation is or how much a person wants to try to “dull” my shine, I remain optimistic and full of possibility (some have said full of something else but I digress…). I keep my gold attitude through finding the learning moment in a wrong turn, the possibility in an improbable situation, and keeping a solid sense of humor when the clouds roll in. Have a plan to stay gold! Keep a smile on your face, a joke on the ready, and an ability to laugh in your back pocket. It will make all of the difference in your ability to get the most from any situation.

In the end, I don’t believe in luck. I believe that we all have talents and that opportunities manifest when we put those talents to work towards something worthwhile. If we say we want something it means we are taking active steps to get it. If we aren’t, then we really don’t want it. Not every venture turns out a success but for every wrong turn taken, a new path can emerge. My friend at the end of the bridge didn’t get the girl but he did get $4 more than I would normally give him and also earned my respect! Don’t wait for luck to achieve what you want, go for it today by stepping up, standing out and staying gold!