"MAKE YOUR OWN LUCK"

That's what they say. No such thing as luck, you have to create your own good fortune.

Hogwash.

Not that being prepared is a fool's errand, but the idea of creating your own luck implies a level of control over the universe that borders on pathological narcissism.

What is so horrible about admitting that luck always plays a part in any triumph?

The bounce of the ball. The rub of the green. The global circumstances that can be the difference between your business proposition seeming like a surety rather than folly.

None of these factors are within your control. Zero.

And that level of uncertainty can be terrifying to many. The very idea that you can sweat and toil towards a goal, only to have the tablecloth pulled by lady fortune, is somewhat demoralising.

But denying it doesn't change it.

Take the film we just finished shooting, 'Dedo'.

Pushing for the highest quality we could muster for the film, we secured a brilliant cast and wonderful crew, coupled with a gorgeous location.

We met, planned, storyboarded, and rehearsed. And yet, when the days came for principal photography, it was still an intense and high tempo environment to get everything in the can.

Some things went our way, some didn't. Ultimately, however, we have the footage we need to make a film. How?

Hard work? Yes. Communication? Definitely. Sacrifice? Certainly.

But in the soul-searching that inevitably follows such an experience, the term 'luck' once again appeared. We were lucky to get as much footage as we did.

The answer to which is, 'of course'.

When you ask a highly experienced crew member to work for significantly less money than they deserve, because we simply don't have the money to pay them, it's good fortune that makes them say "yes".

When a piece of important equipment breaks down, and another provider can supply a new unit within forty minutes, it would be foolhardy to claim it is 'good producing'. We were lucky.

So what can you control, in this mire of preparation, will and happenstance?

Yourself. Only yourself.

You can ensure you are nimble, agile and alert for when opportunity drifts by. You can prepare, develop and upskill, to make the most of whatever crumbs fall from the table of providence.

But you must also embrace fortune's role in the outcome, as much as it stings your pride.

You can deny it. Pretend it doesn't exist. Lay claim to self-made success, shunning any mention of chance. Be my guest.

In your deepest recesses that only you can speak to, however, know that luck will always have a role to play, whether it smiles on you or not.

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