The luck of the Irish!

This week we will be celebrating the luck of the Irish.  Let's talk about that, shall we?  Where did that saying come from anyways?  The little green leprechaun at the end of the rainbow?  Actually, no. 

Ironically enough, the phrase did not originate from the Irish at all, but has more of an American flair.  

According to Edward T. O’Donnell, an Associate Professor of History at Holy Cross College and author of "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History," the term is not Irish in origin. 

"During the gold and silver rush years in the second half of the 19th century, a number of the most famous and successful miners were of Irish and Irish American birth....Over time this association of the Irish with mining fortunes led to the expression 'luck of the Irish.'

"Of course, it carried with it a certain tone of derision, as if to say, only by sheer luck, as opposed to brains, could these fools succeed."  Read full article here. 

So, with that said, let's talk about this word "Luck" and who feel they have it, and who feel they do not.  I say we make our own luck!  Yeh, I know...  Allot of you reading this are saying that life is a series of events called fate.  The 'book of us' already written - chapter by chapter spelling out our lives.  I am not sure I agree.  As much as I do agree there may be a certain level of 'fate' as well as happenstance we carry with us from one lifetime to another, I feel we are faced with decisions every minute of every day that intervene with this said 'fate'.

I am all about creating my own reality and teaching others to do the same!  I strongly feel that you are in this 110% and you create your own path.  Every day we make choices that lead us up one path or down another.

I find there are folks out there, afraid to make any decision at all, frozen in fear, not knowing if the decision they make will be the right one or not. "What if I make the wrong decision?" they ask.  I say - Perfect!  How else are we suppose to learn?  It is ok to make a wrong turn.  That is, of course, how we pave the way for others, find new roads, wander off the beaten path.  If we never explored, our life would be fairly boring.  Same 'ole.  Same 'ole.  No. Thank. You.

I was on a webinar a week or two ago, on "Leading by Disruption" and I thought, yep - that's me.  Upsetting the applecart all day long. LOL  Read great article here.  I feel that to live the status quo, albeit fine for some, is not enough for most.

We need to feel alive!  We need to feel as though we are making a difference.  I say - if you are not feeling that spark, find it!  If you are not feeling that fire burning, light it!  Make it happen!  You have what it takes to make a difference!  It just may not be where you expect to find it.  The choice is yours, and the choices?  Endless.

I have written about positive attracting positive as well as negative attracting negative for years.  In the same token, we can draw to us the energy in which we emit -  bringing it full circle.  I tell my coaching clients all the time...  Be Clear in your thoughts.  Be clear with your intentions.  My tag line for some time now has been "Pure Intentions.  Positive Results."

Luck as well as life is what you make of it.  Your glass can be half empty or it can be half full.  Same glass.  It is all about perception.  Your approach to everything will have a positive or negative connotation - that is all up to you.

I remember a dear friend of mine many moons ago, used to tell me how "lucky" I was.  I was like "What do you mean, lucky?  I work really hard to have the life I have.  Things do not just come to me, I go get them!"  She looked puzzled.  I worked with her on positivity, perception and the glass half-full approach to life.  Years later, we were talking and she reminded me of the conversations we had and she said to me...  "You were right.  I tried what you said.  It worked.  I have a really good life now too.  Thank you!"

How would you like to see your luck turn?  Because, as much as there is good luck, yep - you guessed it, there is bad luck as well.  Choose wisely.

Posted by Intentional Calm.

Mary-Anne  works a 9-5 in Healthcare and finds her nights and weekends filled with assisting others on their path.  A path of disruption.  A path they want to redirect.  She assists clients to, as she says, "get out of their own way".  Guiding them to create their own path to attainable hopes and dreams.  If you or anyone you know could use a little - well, disruption; reach out to Mary-Anne and she can help you pave the way.