This is the third in a series of articles reviewing the lessons found in the definitive classic, The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. If you’d like to start at the very beginning (a very good place to start!) – you can find the first article here.
Meet the Goddess of Good Luck
In this section of the book, Arkad is asked by a student about how to attract good luck. It is noted that men may work side-by-side with one another, and one may have good luck while another does not.
The students are questioned about times when they had experienced good fortune to perhaps find out the way that good luck came upon them. One man found a wallet full of money – but could not reckon how to continue finding more wallets. Another noted that Arkad himself had been seen at the horse races, betting on the grays. Alas, Arkad pointed out that gaming houses and horse races, while frequent locales for witnessing the good fortune of a few, the odds are always in favor of the organizers, and good luck does not flow to the game players.
Finally, a livestock trader speaks up about a time when he allowed good fortune to slip through his hands. It seems that he had an opportunity to purchase a flock late one night, when the owner of the flock was anxious to complete the sale and return to his home. By delaying the purchase until morning, more buyers were on the scene who were willing to pay a much higher price than was originally offered, and so the good fortune slipped by. By procrastinating his decision, the buyer lost out on a fine profit.
At this, another fellow, a trader, pointed out that he had been subjected to his own procrastination early in his career. By finally recognizing it and working against the urge to delay, he was able to cause much good fortune to come his way. By taking action, even in some small way, toward making a decision, the trader accounted that his fortunes had changed to the better.
Lesson: A man of action is favored by the goddess of good luck. Procrastination upon decision-making only leads to regrets. Make decisions with all the good information that you have – either for or against an action – and carry out the decision. Indecisiveness does not bring good fortune.
The next chapter is “The Five Laws of Gold“.
Photo by Tie Guy II
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I can learn from you, you can learn from me - please leave your comments and links!Jim Blankenship, CFP®, EA, is an expert in personal retirement, IRAs, and tax issues, with more than 25 years of experience in the industry. Read more from this author
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[...] The next article will deal with the chapter “Meet The Goddess of Good Luck“. [...]