The Unfair Advantage

It doesn’t happen often but when it does, it’s like manna from heaven.  Information that falls in your lap.  Intel you need to deal with a situation.   A competitive edge.

What to do?  It’s a conundrum alright.  Use it to my advantage or play fair?

And then I thought about a meeting I was in last week. Segun Oduolow, the TV show correspondent from “Speaking to PEOPLE” was taking questions from our group.  Someone asked: What if I was chosen because of the color of my skin?  Without skipping a beat, Segun said:

Who cares how you got in the room.  It’s how you own the room, once inside that matters.  

Great answer.  It reminded all of us that everyone has an unfair advantage at one time or another.  It’s how it is used that matters.  The real question:  How do I own this good luck? 

And then I remembered the immortal words of Samuel Goldwyn.  This quote has been attributed to a few other people, in different forms, but it is the Hollywood producer and filmmaker who said it most succinctly; and whose work still impacts us today.  Sam’s words:

The harder I work the luckier I get.

And I got it.  I have been working hard.  That information didn’t fall in my lap cause I was sitting on the couch eating bon-bons (are those still a thing?).  That information fell in my lap because I was doing the work.  Hours upon hours of digging through data, reading pages and pages of revisions, cross-walking project tasks with deliverables and results.  I owned that “virtual space” where this existed and I worked hard and I got lucky.  

Still what to do with this good fortune?

Use it for Good, Not Evil

Again, easier said than done.  Whose good?  Mine, humanity?  Yes to both.  If it is good for me, and it will help or protect others too, then I am on the right path.  When it benefits more than me that is a good sign.

Be Judicious

Judicious implies being done with good judgment and sense.  To me, that means practicing common sense.  Will it hurt someone or will it help someone?  When and how do I use it, under what circumstances?   By thinking through these questions I can dig deeper into my motive and make sure I am using the information correctly with common sense to change a situation that needs changing.

Pay it Forward

How can I help someone else who may need some good luck?  What actions can I take to show how grateful I am for my bounty?  How can I give back?

What’s Next

Work hard and reap the rewards.  When the lights are all green, no snow, no ice and the view is clear, savor every moment.   And know you are deserving.

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