by Kodjo Adadevoh

Created on: May 17, 2008

I would have to say that the biggest gift I have received is the gift of luck. When I mention luck, I am not referring to the lottery or other superstitious beliefs. By luck I am referring to my journeys in life and my current place in society. By luck, I am referring to my wife and my three sons. By luck, I am referring to my mental stability and my capacity to love and be loved.

My gift essentially is life. The fact that I was born into the family that I was born into and the fact that I grew up very little worries in life, and most importantly, the fact that my parents raised me to be self assured and confident. They raised me to believe in myself and decide my future for myself.

I have been married for 17 years now, and I must say, my wife and I have been very fortunate, we really haven't experienced any major problems, financially, medically, professionally or socially. Our three sons have truly been a blessing. We are raising them to be good citizens of the world, and I am proud to say that they are imbibing all of the good qualities in my wife and I.

I sometimes get the sense that someone must be watching over me, but why? I sometimes feel that I am definitely here for a reason, but what is my purpose? I still do not have the answers to these questions, but one thing I do know is that I am lucky. If I weren't lucky, how come I am still here, how come nothing really tragic or bad has happened to me? How come my family is doing okay (relatively)? Why is it that neither my family members nor I have been afflicted with any major ailment?

All you have to do is turn on the TV to appreciate my point. Everyday, all over the world, people are either suffering or dying. How come I am not one of them? I do not believe that I am special or better than anyone else anywhere on planet earth, so how come I am not in the same predicament as they are? Why have I been spared all of the aggravation and distress that is part of their daily lives? The answer to these questions has to be luck.

Most people believe that luck is simply a result of preparation and opportunity colliding. I happen to believe that individual responsibility and preparation are paramount to being successful in life; however, there are too many times that I have been blessed with good fortune without any particular input on my part. Consider the following, some people are born with genetic defects, some people are born in repressive countries and some people are born into abusive homes. What did they do to deserve this outcome in life?

Learn more about this author, Kodjo Adadevoh.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.