The Harder I Work, The Luckier I Get

I have had the opportunity to work for and with literally hundreds of business owners and managers over the course of my career in the private practice of business law.

I can't say for certain, as I have not collected the relevant data, but it occurs to me that many of the most successful of my clients have been among the most industrious. The most successful of the business owners and managers that I have had the opportunity to work with were often those who were the most industrious, conscientious, and hard-working.

I am reminded of a story, a lawyer story, if you will forgive me.

An experienced trial attorney was defending an important case for an important client. The trial was underway, and the trial attorney spent the days in court and the evenings as often as not in his office or law library working on the case.

One morning the trial attorney showed up at court with a copy of a reported case in his hand, a case which very strongly supported the position he was taking on behalf of his client.

The trial attorney's assistant, when he learned that the trial lawyer had found the extremely favorable controlling precedent, remarked that it was "lucky" that the trial attorney had found the case.

To which the trial attorney, who had spent the better part of the preceding night in the law library, remarked that "the harder I work the luckier I get."

Perhaps to a large extent we make our own luck by being industrious, by being conscientious, and by working hard?

I certainly have come to believe that, over my career of representing business owners and managers and observing their progress.

One client comes to mind.He started acquiring businesses in the early 1980s and continued, acquiring several.

He was industrious, conscientious and hard working.

Perhaps ten to fifteen years after acquiring his first business, he acquired a fourth one.Not sure but I have a sense that this fourth acquisition really panned out, paid off, and exceeded all expectations.

All of the hard work over the course of decades paid tremendous dividends.

My client worked hard and in the process he got lucky. In reality he made his own luck.