If you are prepared, when the opportunity presents itself, you get lucky. Consider this…

Oprah Winfrey was making The Color Purple and she was sitting at lunch with Steven Spielberg, arguably the world’s greatest director. He was writing in his journal the goals he was going to accomplish: He wanted to start a new company called DreamWorks with two partners, and he was going to make a billion dollars a year.

Oprah asked him, “Can I see your journal?” He handed it to her. After reading his goals, she inquired, “Do you mind if I copy that in mine?” Spielberg was thinking that she was going to copy DreamWorks. She took her name, Oprah, turned it backwards to Harpo Productions, and she wrote, “I need certain people as my partners, and I’ll make a billion a year!” The rest is history. She became the first female billionaire.

Why?

Luck favors the prepared. Part of your preparation is writing down your goals.

Oprah had prepared herself by writing in a journal. She saw her future. She saw a man who was doing the future. She modeled him. She said, “I am going to be a person of action.”

Writing down goals and ideas is spiritual law.

Ancient wisdom says, “Write a thing; make it clear; it shall be established unto you.” Some of you need to write down your goals.

I teach it this way: “Write 101 goals.” That is your preparation. Keep adding to it. Do not cross them out like items on a grocery list. Write down “Victory!” when you achieve them.

Oprah became the first female self-made billionaire in history. Many people would say that was luck.

It was preparation before it was luck!

She wanted to be in The Color Purple; she read the book 20 times, and she met Quincy Jones. Quincy Jones told Steven Spielberg, “You’ve got to have this woman in your picture!”

The rest is history.

So many people talk about wanting to be lucky. If you don’t feel as though you are lucky right now, then you need to focus on your preparation.

Roice Krueger was a co-founder of FranklinCovey, the world's largest training and education company. Amazingly, Roice has consulted for 80% of the Fortune 500 companies. Those companies know that Roice delivers the goods, and they continue to beat a path to his door when they need help! Visit Roice’s 101 E-Book Library at www.IdeasThatCanChangeYourLife.com