“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”
- Thomas Jefferson

I have referred to this particular quote very often. It is often confused with another similar quote:

“The harder you work the luckier you get.”
- Gary Player

The idea being expressed is interesting for a couple of reasons. First is the idea that luck is not something that happens to you. Luck is the result of work. Luck is something that happens after you work. Luck doesn’t come before work. You must work first before you will have any luck.

Perhaps we should clarify how work is intended by these quotes. Work doesn’t mean showing up on time and doing only what is expected. What these individuals call work; the average person would define as hard work. It means working at a level above what is expected of you. It means doing the things that other people do not, or will not do. It means showing up to work a few minutes early, instead of at the last minute. It means working harder than the people around you and making sure your work is as error-free as possible.

If you really want to be lucky, you had better make a habit of work. Luck routinely visits only those individuals who work consistently. Do not expect to be showered with luck if you are only going to work once in a while, or even part of the time.

This becomes a little bit more interesting when you consider that Thomas Jefferson lived literally centuries ago and Gary Player is professional golfer. It would seem to suggest that this concept is not new. It has obviously been around since Thomas Jefferson’s time! It would also seem to suggest that the idea is just as relevant today for someone like Gary Player as it was a long time ago for Thomas Jefferson.

For what its worth, it would appear the more you are willing to work, the luckier you will be.