Please Don't Call Me Lucky

Don't you hate when people call you "lucky"? I sure do. I think they do so without thinking anything of it, and their intentions are good. But, I can't help but to take a bit of offense.

Imagine studying for months and months to prepare for an exam and a classmate responds to your good grade by saying "You're lucky." Or you get that promotion that you have worked so hard for and a colleague responds by saying "You're lucky!" or "Aren't You lucky?"

Let's first start off by defining "luck".
luck (/lək/)
noun

1. success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions.

Let's analyze this with a personal example of my own.

In 2002 I went to and excelled in a top 20 university in Atlanta away from all family and friends. A few weeks before graduating, after completing my 4 years of undergrad, I received my first post-college job offer. I recall some of my friends saying "Wow, you secured a job already?! You're lucky!" Well, was it luck that I would sit in the college library for hours each night applying for jobs because I already racked up enough undergraduate school debt that I knew I had to get a job for a couple of years before even considering graduate school? No, I would not quite define that as luck. Fast forward a month later, after I graduated. I get a phone call one day from the company that I was offered my first post-college position with informing me that they had to rescind the offer due to budget cuts. Since I was new to the workforce I could not understand how I could lose a job before even starting. Lucky?

After going through a bout of unemployment staring at this beautiful and expensive college diploma hanging on the wall daily, I received an offer at a great company and accepted it. I busted my ass to perform well. The company was a technology firm, but I came from a science background and had limited technical experience. The opportunity was great and the pay was good for a recent graduate, so I was grateful. Not lucky, but grateful. However, times changed and when the economic crunch occurred I was laid off. At this point I decided I wanted to start a business. I have the gift of superb baking skills (that is partially why my name on Steemit is bakingengineer), and I wanted to open a bakery. However, with limited knowledge and understanding of the structure of a business, that plan did not work out. Can you say FAILURE!?!
So I spent time underemployed and unemployed stressing myself over the thousands of dollars I accured in school debt. I spent hours daily applying for jobs and all I could think is, "this was not in the plans." I eventually landed a great opportunity which was more technical than my previous job. I had to teach myself programming, SQL, and other technical skills to perform successfully in the position. I worked my butt off! Needless to say, I still knew I needed more experience, so I applied to and was accepted to graduate school. Because of my full time job, I was only able to attend graduate school part time (which means it took me longer to complete). Half way through my graduate program, the company I was working for did a string of layoffs (5 to be exact) and I was unexpectedly impacted by it. Luck? They were paying for my graduate school tuition at the time, so I immediately had to assume the responsibility of tuition to maintain my position in the program. That would have been fine if I had a job, but I was just laid off. Luck? I exhausted my savings and paid for school though in addition to sending out 100s of resumes to find a new position.

FINALLY, a fortune 500 wanted to hire me and offered me a GREAT opportunity... and FINALLY, I graduated with my Masters degree in Information Technology. Both were goals I pursued continously regardless of the obstacles and achieved as a result of my perseverance.

Now, this is a long story but there is a message to be heard.
I get bothered by people telling me I'm lucky, when I work hard and overcome obstacles to achieve certain things. Is LeBron James lucky for being an outstanding athlete who worked very hard to lead his team to win the first NBA championship for Cleveland? Of course not! Don't call the hard work of others "luck." If anything, you can say to them "you are fortunate," or "you are blessed." Don't diminish their hard work and call them "lucky."