By Its Standard Definition, Luck Is a Misnomer for Andrew
Andrew Luck is, in my opinion, the best all around quarterback I have ever seen play the game of football. Yes, I said the game of football, not just college football. I realize this is a bold statement that opens me up to criticism and I am fine with that. Though I fully expect him to have a similarly successful pro career, I am well aware of all the variables beyond his control that could adversely affect him when he reaches the National Football League.
At first glance I thought his name was both misleading and inappropriate. The standard definition of luck usually goes something like this: good fortune; advantage or success, considered as the result of chance. The only descriptive definition for Andrew I could find was this: a male given name from a Greek word meaning “manly.” So taken literally Andrew Luck means a man favored by good fortune as a result of chance.
That definition bears little resemblance to the Andrew Luck I have followed since he committed to Stanford University a few short years ago. I have never seen anyone achieve the level of academic and athletic success he has achieved without a requisite amount of hard work. I’m certain a good deal of desire, dedication and seasoning have also been keys to enabling him to develop into the quarterback and person he is today.
I have never endorsed the widely used definition of the word luck and feel it was created in an effort to rationalize away what is unpalatable to people. When things don’t go your way it’s often explained away as ‘bad luck.’ Or when someone you do not see as worthy gets something you value, you say ‘they are just lucky.’ You see, it is easier to rationalize that luck was involved than to admit that you didn’t do all that you could have and/or face the pain of self-induced failure. I have seen people and several of my clients fall into this trap over many years.
As a result, I teach my clients the alternative definition of ‘luck’ that I subscribe to, which is simply: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” People often complain to me that they ‘never got an opportunity’ to show what they could do, but what I usually find to be true is that the opportunities did indeed come, but they were not prepared when they did.
By using my preferred definition his name almost seems prophetic as it is so appropriate to the person he has become. Applying my definition to his name, Andrew Luck would literally mean: A man who prepared for opportunity and then seized that opportunity to his benefit.
Now that’s not a misnomer.
