Life is a game of “best guesses.” For example, the best guessers in the world are probably the people who post the odds at the Nevada casinos. They are so close all the time it is scary. And, they aren’t always right.

Going into the NBA playoffs the Golden State Warriors were the odds-on favorites to win the championship. Then the unexpected happens. Their MVP, Stephen Curry, goes down with a knee injury. He’ll be back in two weeks. Maybe? Full strength? Loss of rhythm? More questions than answers.

One of the teams expected to challenge, the L.A. Clippers, lose two key people and are eliminated by the Portland Trail Blazers. Without one, Chris Paul, the Clippers could lose to anyone, and they did. The other challenge is the perennial contenders, the San Antonio Spurs. They are healthy and deep and could handle an injury better than most. No guarantees.

So why am I telling you this? What I have said leads to a conversation about luck and our relationship to it. What’s so is that we have good luck and bad luck. How human beings tend to relate to luck is to moan and groan about how bad their luck is. When good luck shows up, it is due to skill, talent and ability.

Every golfer should clearly see this. When you put the ball in the air, you are done! The landing can turn out a variety of ways, none of which you have anything to say about. Oh, you headed the ball in a good direction, but that’s all.

First of all, the key to luck is to relate to either bad or good for what it is … LUCK. What is most important is to not make a big deal of it either way. Acknowledge the luck and choose an action that keeps you moving forward.

Sometimes luck shows up at the conclusion of something, i.e., the last shot, the last putt, the last pass, etc. You do not want that influence hovering over your next game, outing, business deal, etc. That it happened doesn’t mean anything about you, them or the project you are in. Choose and act.

Way back in the day the Lakers looked like they were going to finally win a championship from the Boston Celtics. Leading by one with just a few seconds left they forced Celtic forward Don Nelson to take a contested, last second jump shot. The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced eight feet in the air and dropped through the net for the win. Bad and good luck, but it is just still luck.

Remember, pay a visit to lulu.com and check out Coach Todd’s books. They will support you through whatever luck you experience.