"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work..."

"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work -- and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't." - Lucille Ball


Wow! Good old red-headed Lucille Ball. She sure knew how to make 'em laugh. And sure knew how to work hard. I always remember her fondly. Although I am too young to have watched her in real time on I LOVE LUCY, I do remember (vaguely) growing up to The Lucille Ball Show -- and of course, I did eventually see almost all of the original b&w show in reruns and rebroadcasts. I mean, who hasn't.

I remember, too, reading her autobiography as a child. She fascinated me. She and Desi worked very hard and parlayed their talents and skills into their own company - DesiLu Productions (?) - and from there they bought the old RKO film company. I think at one point, they and there companies were a very BIG deal in Hollywood.

She was a consumate performer/artist/comedian...lady! And a decidedly hard worker.

I think about that "era" - post depression/pre&post war and there was definitely a different "work ethic" at rule. People expected to work hard and they also seemed to expect a regular life. Nobody had visions of grandeur. They wanted a house and kids and the white picket fence and maybe a tv and car! And all of that was the BIG dream.

Now everybody dreams of being a rock star, movie star, fashion designer...in short: a CELEBRITY. I don't think there were "celebrities" back then. There was normal people and a few movie stars. It was a small pantheon. No reality tv shows. No 24-hour infomercials. No famous for being famous types...per se. You worked hard and you lived. And then a few people, by sheer grit, determination, hard work, know-how, talent and connections made it BIG.

Of course, BIG back then was really big compared to the average. Also, there wasn't any taxes or very few at certain times. For instance, pre-Lucille Ball and looking at the Mary Pickfords/Douglas Fairbanks, et al, when they formed United Artists and were earning $1,000,000 per movie -- that was HUGE money. Pre-tax! That might be like earning $100,000,000 now...at least in it's spending power.

Nowadays, everybody suffers from entitlement-envy/expectation. Somehow, people (esp. younger people) think that stardom and fame/fortune/success is just going to fall in their laps AND they deserve it. Even if they do nothing! And sometimes they are right. With all of the internet and tv reality bullshit, people have gotten famous for absolutely no reason. I am not sure how successfully they have parlayed that success into anything lasting or profitable. But they have attained a certain degree of 'celebrity'!

But back to Ms. Ball's thesis: "...I am afraid of people who do..." bank on luck. I remember working late at the office one night and someone walked by and said to my colleague: "Oh, you are working late!" And she turned to me and say, sarcastically: "Yeah, it's all luck!" She is/was one of the hardest working people I know. And although she is taking a "little" more time off than before, it is still a) after 26-years of working hard and b) not much less than where she was before and still much more than the average.

Working hard and striving for your goals, dreams, aspirations is good for you...good for your soul and good for your bank account. It's even good for the economy. You are bringing up the economy and the national income average as well as efficiency for the whole GNP. You are a star! And you deserve all the luck that comes out of your hard work!

Time to go running! :)