Some people simply live their life by the luck of the draw. They wait for what life has in store for them. They are always in react mode and are consistently under the control of others. They play the lottery everyday, hoping for the big win that always seems to evade them. They roam from situation to situation lacking any sense of adventure. These people go to work everyday, do the same things, run the same routine day after day, week after week and year after year, afraid to step out of their comfort zone.

The good news is this: There is no such thing as luck. I once saw a definition of the word "luck" that stuck with me. I believe it to be a wonderful statement, an accurate description and one that teaches a great lesson simultaneously. Luck is simply "the point where preparedness meets opportunity!"

Wow! Preparedness and opportunity, what concepts! Opportunities are always presenting themselves, whether we are aware of them or not. They come in waves, like ocean waves, gently washing the shore. Many people have made millions of dollars by simply being aware of the right opportunities and then taking immediate action. They are prepared to act in advance, knowing what to look for as the right opportunity presents itself.

How do we prepare ourselves for opportunity? First is a mandatory change of mindset. We must be ready to step out in faith and expand our comfort zone. Unless we do, we will never position ourselves to walk on the shore as those incredible waves wash over our feet. We must be in the right place at the right time. Is it by coincidence that we arrive at that point? No! We must pro-actively prepare ourselves and get positioned in front of the wave by conscious choice. Stretching our limits and growing out of our current comfort zone are the means of achieving this.

We must have dreams. We must establish goals and write them down, reviewing them daily and fixing them in our minds-eye. We must also believe that we deserve opportunity and that we can and will achieve our dreams. Be confident in this.

Learn everything you can concerning the area of growth that you are interested in. Learning will profit you in ways you cannot possibly imagine at this point. Study every nuance of your interest so that you confidently become an expert in that area. Research companies, associations and groups that are active in your areas of interest. Discover what makes them successful. Learn of their failures. Learn from their mistakes so that you do not duplicate them. Study trends in the marketplace, looking for signs of opportunity in this field. Fine-tune your opportunity awareness channel.

In taking these actions and adjusting your mindset, you are now properly prepared to act when the right opportunity wave confronts you. Others will never see it coming and will be unaware that the wave ever came in, but you will be found actively riding that wave to your success.

Luck is a lie. Luck is blind chance. Luck is that point at which your planned preparedness intersects with the incredible opportunity you have been watching for and patiently waiting to confront you. Your confident action assures your growth and success.

Daniel Sitter

Daniel Sitter has been a student his entire life. He continues to assimilate and synthesize knowledge from dozens of sources and a wealth of personal experiences over a twenty five year period into material that he draws inspiration from. He has been fascinated by the workings of the human brain and various learning strategies in particular. He often ponders why it is that some people are more receptive to change, are more productive and earn substantially more than others, even within the same industry. He has observed that many people are frustrated that they find learning to be a difficult and tediously slow process and he seeks solutions to their dilemma.

The author has attended dozens of seminars presented by the foremost authorities on human performance, personal development, psychology, sales, family, manufacturing and business. He enjoys the viewpoints of others and has absorbed their accumulated knowledge at each event. He has read and listened to dozens of books and audio programs in a variety of disciplines. Fueled by an insatiable hunger for knowledge and personal development, Dan continues to apply the principles he has learned into all aspects of his life on a daily basis. The results are continuously evident.

Dan has a wealth of business, sales and marketing experience in the technical fields. He has made a career in the mechanical/electrical engineering industries as an automation/fluidpower specialist. He holds a BS degree from the University of Akron, but he is quick to point out that his real education actually began after his formal education had concluded. An advocate of continuing education, Dan is always feeding his mind with new material that can help him to be continuously growing beyond his current comfort zone. He has designed and written numerous industry newsletters, business and personal development articles, various marketing materials and has authored the popular, breakthrough e-book, Learning For Profit, which teaches principles for accelerated learning and personal growth.

His hobbies are guitars, music, Shotokan karate, computers and electronics. An avid musician, Dan has played in a number of bands over the years and has written and performed dozens of original songs.

A devoted family man, Dan has been married for 21 years, has teenage children, a dog and a cat. He enjoys working out, family dinners on Sunday, relaxing trips to the beach and eating spicy ethnic foo