The Luck of the Draw

Molly writes...

Today is St. Patrick's Day, so I guess I had luck on my mind. It made me think about the idea of being lucky. I realized that the concept of having good fortune or being fortunate is quite subjective and all a matter of opinion in the end, and, perhaps more about perspective and optimism than about improbable positive or negative events. For instance, one person might find a particular thing lucky while another person might find that very same thing unlucky. I also realized that, although there are always exceptions, if you really analyze many situations, the concept of luck is often in the eye of the beholder. 

You come across remarkable resilience and strength in people who have gone through trying times or challenges. Experiencing hardship can make you focus on the smallest things that make you feel grateful or fortunate, allowing you to tap into the restorative power of gratitude. In a way, it can make you feel lucky for what you have or what you have experienced.

Talking about optimism is complicated. Being optimistic does not mean you are in denial about hardship or challenges, or that you don’t believe bad things can happen. It is more about how you react and respond when they do.

People often ask about our No Mistakes philosophy: “What do you mean there are no mistakes?”

Well, if we are answering that question literally, yes, of course, you can make a so-called mistake. However, it is in the way we react and respond to our so-called mistakes that allows us to move forward and find a resolution. If we can view our experiences as messages of opportunity, that is optimism.

As your Zentangle practice grows, your ability to “respond” creatively to things that you did not expect or want will become second nature. You might discover that this superpower allows you to see things in a different light. When you find yourself feeling angry or frustrated because you colored in the wrong square or connected the wrong line, you can shift your focus. Instead of seeing the so-called mistake, you begin to think about the things surrounding that moment that you are grateful for. The more you focus your energy on gratitude, the more you may find yourself perceiving that moment differently. You might even find yourself feeling fortunate for the opportunity, ability, time, companionship, materials and so on. And, when revisiting the work, you see a way … a path to making something else out of the work. You land on a discovery you never imagined, surrounded by gratitude and good fortune … or perhaps you see it as good luck. And maybe that is the luck of the draw!