You're so lucky!

Let me introduce you to one of my best friends and one of my favorite people in the world, Drew Danburry.

Drew has done what most musicians fantasize about.  He has played on stages across the US and around Europe.  As a folk musician that funded his dream by making connections on MySpace and then playing shows in every venue, house or dorm hall that he could get into, Drew made fans everywhere he went.  Drew is self taught on the guitar, keytar, and accordian.  He has never taken voice lessons, although he has been told several times that he should. 

But you can't do that!
He has recorded albums and given them away.  He has driven around the country in a car that shouldn't be trusted at freeway speeds. He has been an example to me of not preparing for the future at the expense of the present.  (Or like one of my other heroes once said, "Consider the lilies of the field...)

"You're so lucky!"
In the midst of Drew's adventures, he frequently heard people tell him how lucky he was. Obviously his life was good: traveling , playing in front of fans,
and not punching a time clock... but those comments were frustrating to hear. "It's not luck," he told me after a show. "Anyone could do this! It's just a lot of hard work." 

It's true that there are some unreproducible scenarios that lift someone to international fame, like her, her and him. These are among the few which leave us scratching our heads as to how we know them anyway. As for the rest of the millions of lucky people in the world, they're just like Drew, working like crazy with little chance of a payoff.  You might find them writing a few more lines of their screenplay during their lunch hour.  You might find them painting in the den rather than watching television in the evening.  They could be taking night classes, or getting up early to excercise, or reading their favorite novel in a language that they don't yet understand. Anyone could do this, remember.  It's just a lot of hard work.

Who do you know that lives a charmed life of luck?  What have they done to earn that luck?  Join the discussion in the comments!