Luck, Leadership and Mindset
I am sitting at the far left end on this picture. You can probably tell that this was a few years ago…
Years ago, I found myself on a winding road in Tibet—both literally and metaphorically. But before I get to that story, let’s talk about luck.
Is it real? Is it random? Or is it something we unknowingly create?
Psychologist Dr. Richard Wiseman spent over a decade studying people who consistently described themselves as lucky. What he found was revealing: “luck” is not so much about chance, but about mindset.
His research uncovered four key principles that lucky people tend to live by:
Maximizing Opportunities – They stay open to new experiences and connections.
Listening to Intuition – They trust their gut when making decisions.
Expecting Good Fortune – Their optimism becomes self-fulfilling.
Turning Bad Luck into Good – They reframe setbacks as lessons or redirections.
In other words: luck often follows mindset—not the other way around.
And I saw this play out, unexpectedly, in the high-altitude roads of Tibet... (here is an old video - sorry for the quality).
We were in a small group traveling between remote villages. The journey was long, rough, and risky, and we needed to rent a van with a driver. Renting a vehicle in that region can be tricky. Often, arrangements fall through, and trust is a luxury you can’t afford.
Eventually, we found one van and agreed on a price. But when the driver arrived that night to pick us up, there were already two other people in the van.
We were frustrated. We’d agreed on the price based on the number of passengers.
Now our bags were crammed, and our sense of security shaken.
Sensing our irritation, our group leader—a seasoned yogi and meditation master—said something odd, almost cryptic:
“Don’t worry. This cup of tea will boil into something tasty later.”
We didn’t know what he meant at the time.
Hours later, I was seated up front, next to the driver. The road was winding, steep, muddy, and dangerous.
A sharp drop to our right. Rock walls on the left. One wrong move, and the consequences would be fatal.
That’s when I noticed the driver’s head starting to drop.
His eyes were barely open. He was falling asleep.
We stopped the van, concerned, and asked if he needed rest.
He grew defensive and refused to stop.
And then—one of the two “extra” passengers spoke up.
“I’m a professional driver,” he said calmly.
He offered to take over.
And that’s exactly what happened.
He drove us safely through the night.
I was stunned. And when I turned to look at our teacher, he simply smiled.
What felt like bad luck—turned out to be exactly what we needed.
This moment reminded me of the old Chinese parable:
“Good luck, bad luck—who knows?”
Our mindset is what determines how we frame our experiences.
Do we see obstacles… or hidden opportunities?
Are we fixated on control… or open to wisdom unfolding?
In leadership, this makes all the difference.
When we feel lucky—or at least open to possibility—we tend to lead with curiosity, discovery, and trust.
But when we feel frustrated or overwhelmed by external circumstances, we often default to micromanagement, rigid control, and reactivity. The outer world hasn't changed—only our mindset has.
This is the heart of Mindset Mastery:
Shifting your perception so that life doesn’t just happen to you—but through you.
Next time something feels like “bad luck,” pause.
There might be more to the story than you can see right now.
by Mickey A. Feher