Waiting for our “lucky” day
Advent
It is that momentous, fabulously lucky day we all fantasise about – when our dreams come true and the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself. That is the day I am talking about.
Will you be ready for that day? As it is Advent and we are eagerly awaiting the Second Coming of our Lord, the question is loaded don’t you think? As you figure that one out, I will focus on the former.
Will you be the embodiment of carpe diem and ready to seize the “lucky” day when it finally arrives? Or, will that day find you at the airport when your ship comes in and you well and truly find that your ship has sailed?
A trilogy and a true tale
Inexplicably, The Lord of the Rings trilogy has magically found its way into my writing about Advent this year. Just recently, I discovered that the role of Aragorn was never the American actor Viggo Mortensen’s from the start. I must admit that it was Aragorn who captured my attention and admiration all those years ago. What a man!
I was thus astonished to discover that the part had originally been slated for someone else, Flummoxed, I realised that I could not envision anyone else but him being in the role. However, it seems that things have a way of working out exactly as they should – as though “someone” was setting it all up precisely as it needed to be.
In this instance, production had already started in New Zealand when it became crystal clear that the actor originally cast for the role did not cut the mustard. Plans had to be made to find somebody on the fly and in a jiffy.
Contenders were sought. Ultimately, three men were in the running but “destiny” eliminated the other two. As “luck” would have it, Viggo was a trained horseman and could handle weapons, plus he had the character and looks to ensure that the protagonist came across as believable. The rest as they say is history.
Prepared for action
I feel like, as so many others have alluded to in their lives, success is not random: we get prepared for that day. A quote that hits a bull’s eye on this principle was attributed to Abraham Lincoln:
“I will prepare and someday my chance will come.”
Abraham Lincoln
Freelancers, creatives, et al, have all discovered this principle. Like a farmer sowing his seed in faith, one has to put in the work, put yourself and your work out there, all the while believing that something will come of it.
And it is incredibly tough. In Viggo’s case, dreams would not have taken him anywhere – his ability, preparation and training as well as a stroke of good fortune all helped to put him in prime position for the role the day when opportunity came knocking.
His ability to ride horses, especially when production was under pressure, on a movie set where horses were extensively used was surely a huge boon. As was his absolute willingness to give up life as he knew for 18 months in an instant and commit to shooting a trilogy. By a stroke of “luck” his son was well acquainted with Tolkien’s books and urged his dad to take the role.
Serendipity
“Serendipity” if ever there was. Wink, wink. It seems more like that invisible hand that we know orchestrating things at the very right time. The more I read, the more I realised that it had been set out for him.
I see parallels in our lives. Our opportunities may be right around the corner, yet we may be completely unaware that change is about to transform our lives. There is a caveat though: one has to be ready and willing.
Success, years in the making
This is echoed in the journey of a phenomenal, prolific, well-paid writer who tweeted his success story on X in November. Nicolas Cole shared:
“I remember having breakfast with my boss and mentor at the time, giving him my four weeks’ notice, and him asking me if I was going to start an agency of my own.
Nicolas cole
“I confidently said, “No, I don’t think that’s what I want to do,” only to start a content writing agency called Digital Press six months later.
“In less than 12 months, we (as a company) crossed the seven-figure revenue mark, employed a dozen or so people full-time, had healthcare benefits, attracted two Silicon Valley all-star investors/advisors, and established ourselves as the leading Thought Leadership writing agency for founders and executives.
We worked with 100+ business leaders, speakers, NYT best-selling authors, Olympians, Grammy-winning musicians, VC firms, and more.
“How? How did this happen — and so quickly? The truth is, it didn’t happen quickly.
“My journey of turning what I love into a business started over 10 years ago.”
How will we be found waiting?
I reiterate. How will that opportunity find us waiting? It would appear that we need to be ready and working hard when opportunity knocks.
It may feel that despite effort exerted, nothing is happening – a sentiment expressed by many on this journey of online entrepreneurship. In the early days, throwing in the towel is often a real possibility for the rookie, especially when there is zero return on investment for those countless hours spent poring over content – consumption and production – while follower counts remain stubbornly low.
It could very well feel like one’s peers seem to get all the opportunities and one is left in middling obscurity. As one of those working on developing my online-business skills this year, learning as much as I could and trying to find ways to get monetised, I, too, have felt like giving up.
Doctor-turned-YouTuber
Yet, time and time again, the most successful online solopreneurs or content creators have repeatedly said the same things albeit in different words but the gist remains the same: nobody cares. YouTuber, Ali Abdaal explains that nobody cares about your content in the beginning –it is all about providing value for the viewers. He also explains the creative process quite succinctly. It is worth checking out – watch it here.
Ali Abdaal is the doctor-turned-productivity guru and he had had to pivot a number of times, about five or so, before his content resonated with the masses. With a following nearing 5 million and with a team of 13 employees at last count, that is quite some feat, but was it easy? Absolutely not.
The luck of time and effort
I suppose our “luck” is made by the time and effort we are willing to put into something. Somehow, effort and determination have a way of delivering results: eventually. Entrepreneurs in whatever guise and creatives seeking to build a life away from the trappings of the familiar rat race have discovered that it is par for the course.
I believe that there is a reward for those who have jumped without knowing exactly how it would turn out, but clung on in faith. By no means am I suggesting anything irresponsible or stupid. However, I commend those who have decided to take a leap of faith after weighing up all the options available, gleaned from all the information at hand, and trusting that somehow, some way, it would all work out in the end.
Getting ducks in a row
The farmer waiting to reap his harvest is such a key metaphor as there exists an element of faith in pursuing a path less trodden. Of not waiting to have all the ducks in the row. As recently as 1 December, Elon Musk quoted Isaac Newton on X in response to a meme about ducks being in a row:
“Ducks are only in a row when in motion”
Isaac Newton
In other words, the point is that there has to be motion first. It is actually in the act of creating, of being in the flow, that everything comes together. Then only can one find one’s ducks in a row despite as the original meme creator humorously put it, one may have appeared to be a pigeon.
It is in the motion of putting faith into practice where the magic happens and dreams come true. After all, James 2:17 states:
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Wonderful time of the year
I can virtually hear Andy Williams singing about Christmas being that wonderful time of the year, but perhaps also the perfect time to consider how we are walking in faith as believers.
Are we mired in the paralysis of analysis, or are we slowing taking action with tiny steps of faith where we can? Let’s reflect upon how we are putting faith into practice on a daily basis and whether our lucky day will find us having put in the work.
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Please note Scripture quoted throughout is taken from the New International Version.
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