Ambitions & Spirituality: The Myth of Good Luck

I'm a spiritual person. So, I can't help but view my career goals and ambitions through a spiritual lens. Therefore, I have to say the following: the spiritual belief in luck or fortune is sabotaging a lot of people's ambitions and goals. Why? Because it is dismissing our involvement in our success, despite the fact that proactive involvement is very necessary.

Good or Bad Luck is a Myth

Many times, when we see someone who is successful or wealthy, people assume that person benefited from a series of fortunate events and opportunities. Yes - events and opportunities can be a good jumping board for success and wealth, but the true marker is what you decide to do at those events, what you decide to do with those opportunities.

Therefore, I don't believe in good or bad luck. I believe in patterns that reflect good or bad will for our lives. Often, the overriding source of ill will comes from within our circle: either from ourselves, or the people around us. In some cases, it comes from both.

Digging Deeper into the Power of Ill Will

I think the best way to explain it is through some examples:

• If you have a pattern of rejecting opportunities for promotion or employment, it could reflect your ill will towards yourself and your ambitions. In other words - your low self-esteem creates ill will. Or, this pattern could reflect the ill will of comrades who always discourage you when you discuss your plans to seek out opportunities.

• If you have a pattern of financial struggle, no matter how much money you make, it could reflect the ill will created by bad examples from authority figures who weren't good at budgeting. Or, it could reflect the ill will created by your addiction to "retail therapy" every time you see money in your account.

Now, I want to clear up something: there are some things that shouldn't be blamed on "ill will." Specifically, if we suffer from neurological or learning disorders that haven't been diagnosed or treated properly, we shouldn't blame ourselves for that. But the refusal to get diagnosed, seek help, or accept qualified guidance? That is another issue that reflects ill will towards yourself. It could be the ill will that has erroneously convinced you that you don't deserve help.

Essentially, if you are experiencing patterns of "misfortune" that make you feel as if "bad luck" is following and sabotaging you, you need to examine your life for the root of those patterns. You need to pinpoint the source of the "ill will" creating those patterns.

So, What is the Solution?

I'm not a doctor or a sage, but my advice as a writer (who believes in writing for healing) is this: write out a list of factors, actions, or events that are consistently present in your situations of "bad luck." Review that list and use it to discern the common denominator of these situations. Then do research on who or what is qualified to help root out that common denominator and its source. Qualified help could come in the form of a therapist, healing practice, spiritual or religious leader, consultant, or mentor.

But the first step to healing ourselves of this sabotage is admitting that we can all be complicit, ignorant, or codependent in some way, when it comes to our life and career patterns. It is up to us to get the help we need, when it comes to addressing complicities, ignorance, and codependency. Getting help is another way of creating good will for our life.