Because some people are too busy looking at what other people have instead of being thankful and grateful for what they have. This world doesn't owe you anything. Luck is a loser's excuse for not having a winner's position.

I find that the harder I work the more luck I seem to have.

There isn't any luck. It's all just everyone's actions.

As unpopular as it may sound...luck, and bad luck, do exist. No-one knows how or why, but the trick is not to get obsessed with it. You're either lucky or not...live with it. It may seem that those who "work a lot at it" appear to have "good luck" but this is just a person with their head screwed on right, working to improve their lot in life instead of giving in to their luck status. Bad luck is not an excuse for the idle, all though some lazy bods do use it as an excuse; nor is bad luck an excuse to give up. The trick is not to let your ill luck get you down or thwart you from your goals. In case you're interested, I'm one of the unlucky ones... I've never won a raffle or lottery in my entire life except once... problem was the ticket had fallen out of my pocket and picked up, and claimed by someone else :-(

I really liked all the other answers, and I know that they all come from common sense, but however, there are some scientific facts about luck that I found out helping my wife on a essay she was working on for "advance statistics" at her college. What we usually call "luck" is no other thing as "chance", and is directly connected with two theories working together: determinism and probabilities. Every time we do something, our actions have an effect. The same way, every action every other people in the world do, have an effect. What happens in the world in other words is the sum of all the actions and effects of its inhabitants. There is no such thing as "destiny" so what you leave or take will mark your future. This is what is usually called an "opportunity". Now, this is going to be very philosophical, but being in the right place at the right time can be good to catch a good opportunity, but to be in that place at that time other previous actions were required. This is the "eternal dilemma", that every decision can lead to "success" or "failure", but at the same time a big success can end terribly, or a great failure can provide the roots for "happiness". I once read that at birth 95% of your chances of success or failure are marked. For instance if you are born rich in the US high chances are that you are going to be "happy" in life, on the opposite if you are born in a poor family in India, chances are that you are not even going to survive childhood. The topic is long and complicated, but to answer the question, your "luck" will increase if you are always aware of the opportunities that passes in front of you, and of course if you take advantage of the good chances you were born with. At the end I like to think that we all own responsibility for our fates, and we can't blame luck, because all of us have at least one opportunity in life. Take it and make it, or leave it and keep going until the (?) next.

My favourite answer to this problem comes from an episode of Babylon 5: "You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." Marcus Cole 'A Late Delivery from Avalon'

First of all, determining who "deserves" something is really a separate question. Let's just consider why some people are "lucky" and some people aren't. What we think of as "luck" is really a combination of many things, some of which have been mentioned in other answers. But there really does seem to be something at work that we might as well call luck. Many people make their own "luck" through hard work, seeing obstacles as challenges, and refusing to give up on their goals. These people don't wait for the breaks they want, but actively work to find or make their own breaks. And since we haven't seen the time and effort that went into it, when their efforts do begin to pay off we think they were "lucky." But there does seem to be other elements involved, primarily belief and expectation. As silly as it may sound, there has been some research that indicates that people who think themselves lucky tend to be lucky, while people who believe they are unlucky tend to be unlucky. Some will say that this effect is purely psychological, that there is no way to measure "luck" and so no way to tell if one person really is "luckier" than another. It's true that we don't have an accurate way to measure "luck," but various scientists (including some quantum physicists) are finding ways to measure whether people's expectations and beliefs can have a physical effect in the world, and they're finding that indeed they can. Based on what they've discovered so far, it would seem we do indeed create our own "luck," good or bad, by our own beliefs and expectations. If you're interested in learning more about the ways that our thoughts effect the physical world, a good place to start is a book called "The Conscious Universe" by Dean Radin. There is also a movie out called "What the *bleep* do we know?" that explores these ideas. You can read about it at the website http://www.whatthebleep.biz/home/ While there are many such books and websites that have been written by psychics, swamis, and fortunetellers, there are a rapidly growing number being written by scientists of various kinds that explore the ways our thoughts, beliefs, and expectations affect what we experience in life. It's a fascinating field of study. Dragon Rider, I can accept a poor rating if you disagree with my answer and say why. But I deeply resent your using your rating on my answer to try to push your religion. If you feel you have a better answer, you need to post an answer of your own, not post it in a rating comment.

It is quite evident that there are a lot "takes" on luck. Here is something that I have observed. People who are vibrant, cheerful, interested, alive, active, full of good attitudes and tenacity, good communicators, positive, etc. etc. tend to have more luck than those who have poor attitudes, poor communication or affinity towards others and life. Of course the work ethic is different between the positive and the negative along with a whole array of other attributes. However, that "out of the blue good fortune" sure tends to fall more towards the positively inclined. It is as if joy permeates good fortune. This is just an observation, not a stone-cold fact.

There is a saying, attributed to a number of people including Louis Pasteur, that says "Chance favors the prepared mind." What I like about that saying is that it breaks down luck into two things - the random or not-so-random happenstance of the universe AND the readiness of the recipient. Some say luck doesn't exist, but I tend to side with Jung & Quantum Physics who state the world is responsive to us, and the very act of observation changes the result. Synchronicity is the term Jung used, and when you begin to notice synchronicities in your life, a strange thing occurs. They begin to happen more often. Did you know that MULTIPLE people have won the Publisher's Clearing House Grand Prize on a SECOND CHANCE DRAWING?? Why? Because the person who originally got the winning entry didn't respond. They were extremely lucky, but they didn't RECOGNIZE luck when it landed in their mail box. This type of thing happens often in life. People are offered lucky breaks and turn them down. It's not that luck doesn't happen to them - it's that they not only look the gift horse in the mouth, they swat it on the rump to make it go away. It takes great courage to take risks, to change yourself and your life, and some people are more content with the misery they know. Luck comes in many forms, and most of us take it for granted. The smoker who never gets cancer. The driver who 'always' drives home drunk from the bar and never has an accident. Someone with an unhealthy diet who never has a heart attack. These same people will look at someone who just won the lottery and say "I never have luck like that". I know a woman who was offered an incredible opportunity , but she had assumed it would never happen, so she wasn't prepared when it came along. It was a BIG break towards her dream career, but it required her to commit to a month basically working as an intern/volunteer. She had never put any savings away, and had used up all of her leave, so when it happened - she couldn't afford the time off work. The luck was there, but she wasn't ready. So what can you do to be 'more lucky'? Be bold! Take smart risks. Have an open mind, and prepare yourself for the opportunities when they arise. Keep yourself debt free, and with plenty of savings in the bank. Keep your insurance paid up. Eat well. Exercise. Wear your seatbelt. To be prepared, you have to put some effort into it so the universe knows you're serious. If you can dream it, take positive steps in the direction of your dream. As the 'realists' are want to say "Don't give up your day job".....but don't give up your dream either. And don't put limits on where your luck has to come from. If you want to be rich, don't just play the lotto. ACT like a rich person, which means managing your money, building your savings, having a contingency fund, planning for the future, buying assets, and living within your means. And last - don't assume you can tell if something is good or bad. Most things in life are shades of grey. There's a wonderful little parable about that that goes like this: Once upon a time (because don't they always start out like that....), a farmer had an old ox that he used for plowing. One morning he wakes up, and the ox has died. The farmer is lamenting to his neighbor about this and says, "This is just the worst thing that could happen to me!" And the neighbor says, "Maybe.......maybe not". A few days later, the farmer finds a big strong horse on the road. No one knows who it belongs to, so he takes the horse home. It turns out to be a much better plough horse than the ox, because it is young and strong. The farmer is rejoicing, and says to the neighbor, "This is the best thing that could happen to me!". And the neighbor says, "Maybe.......maybe not". A few months down the road, the farmer's son is out riding the horse. Something startled it, and the horse threw him. The farmer's son ended up with a broken leg. The farmer is again lamenting to the neighbor and says, "This is just the worst thing that could happen!" And the neighbor says, "Maybe.......maybe not". The next day, the king's men come to town with a proclamation stating the kingdom is going to war, and all able-bodied young men are being called to go. All of the young men in town, except for the farmer's son, had to go. And as they sat down for dinner that night, the farmer looked over at his neighbor's house, and didn't say a word. So DO some people get all the luck while others never get the breaks they deserve? Maybe.......maybe not.

Luck is just a rare product of chance. Winning the lottery, getting through five traffic lights in a row in horrible traffic and finding a "lucky" 20 dollar bill on the side walk are all just examples of against-the-odds chance. Not everybody gets a 20 dollar bill every morning on hteir commute to their workplace. Some people work all of their lives and never receive the promotion that they absolutely envy. And some get it their second day on the job. With no more education or qualifications than the original hard-worker. BUT THATS LIFE - No matter how life treats you, we all share something common- we are human with emotions, love, care and most importanty - compassion. If we try our best we will be good people, and that is all that matters. And to answer the Question- thats just unfair life.

Karma baby, karma. Luck is actually very tricky. Suppose you endure very hard things in a life. What makes you think it will learn your soul? And what will somebody learn who has a lot of luck? Right, different things, just the thing you need, not what you think you need.

It's their karma. See http://www.answerbag.com/q_view.php/25573 for more about karma. There is no such thing as luck. Don't take my word for it, take a look at what Princeton says.... http://noosphere.princeton.edu/speculations.html - "The project builds on excellent experiments conducted over the past 35 years at a number of laboratories, demonstrating that human consciousness interacts with random event generators (REGs), apparently "causing" them to produce non-random patterns. A description of the technical implementation is given under procedures."

Basically it goes like this. Everyone creates their own experiences in life. And everything comes down to your thoughts, conscious and unconscious. The "unlucky" people are focusing on their problems and what we focus on expands. Lucky people are focusing on the good things in their life. It is more than just "positive thinking" though. Deep down you may have some very conflicting thoughts and intentions that are wreaking havoc on your life. There is great news. You can take control of your thoughts. You can heal your life. You can change your thoughts and let go of bad programming. You will have to give up some things..you will have to give up your victim story. And then you will know your true nature.

I would agree with you on your answer, observance and acting on the opportunities that are presented to us, except that I have been doing it for years and while yes, to a certain extent it works, there is another, completely different factor at play that simply does not bow to the rules as we know them. I am talking about something I call "The Opposing Force". It basically means that no matter what you do, where you go or how you do it, it's not going make a spit of difference in the thing you are trying to achieve. Sometimes this might occur and actually be there to help you, as in you're trying to make a hasty deal that somehow falls through, and you discover that the deal was a bad move, or something similar. What I'm talking about, though, is the process of achieving a dream or a goal, or even just plain day to day survival, and nothing, I mean nothing, seems to bring you any closer. In fact, if anything, life suddenly seems to conspire against you to do everything it can to make it NOT happen. It goes beyond 'the meant to be' quality of life/fate...It is malicious intent, a will so bent on making you fail that it is glaringly obvious, and only a fool would simply dismiss it as a coincidence or 'run of bad luck'. It seems that, maybe the old scientific addage, for every force there is an equal and opposite opposing force would apply not only to physical matter, but to our will and mind, and the other aspects of life that are not as easy to reach. So this is my answer, and also my question...if anyone's got any comments or answers on this, on what makes a person who definitely doesn't deserve to but still gets poorly treated by life, someone who does all the right things and yet still ends up at the bottom of the pile no matter what...please let me know!

In life, there are a people and b people. a people have all the luck. they can walk in the middle of the interstate and never be struck by an automobile. b people barely get by in life. i believe your astrological sign is the key to ones future. people born on certain months and days of each year, are luckier than others. the answer is in the astrology books at your library. a small prayer request couldn't hurt, either.

Hey luck is all in youre head "Good luck" as you call may be a blessing from the almighty God creature of heaven and earth you may not like what I am saying but "bad luck" may be youre mortal enamy fighting to take you with him to hell but God died on the cross even if you were the only one person on earth he still would die if youre intreasted in coming to God then go to www.livingword.com it will tell you all you need to know more that web site will answer almost all youre question.

It's Karma, just watch "My Name Is Earl." on NBC (after the Olympics are over) When Earl does bad things, bad things happen to him. When Earl does good things, good things happen to him.

This question is so important, i decided to try to answer it, a second time. luck is a mental state. i have always kept this in mind. i see people who have the material things in life, but they have failing health. i have been blessed to have good health, but definetely not rich. there is always a trade-off, concerning luck. if the break, you are seeking, never occurs on earth, remember, the riches are always equal in heaven. hope this helps you make it another day and your lucky break will be forthcoming.

A man much older and much wiser than myself once told me "LUCK IS EXPERIENCE MEETING OPPORTUNITY". Made sense to me then: Makes sense to me now.

first it is not luck, its unselfish choices we make. usually when we measure our success by wealth as society deems necessary, our get rich quick sense takes over which is the selfishness in us. The breaks you speak of is the unselfish acts to others which measure and enrich our lives which in turn also makes us wealthy in return.

We usually get what we deserve. Luck plays a very small part in that. If we put a great deal of effort into something, we reap the rewards of that effort. If we put nothing into a project or a relationship, we usually don't get anything in return. Some people go through life thinking that they can get something for nothing. And sometimes that may be the case. But this doesn't typically last long. These are the situations that involve "luck" as you put it. For the most part you will only get in return, what you have put in. So instead of thinking that you are not getting the "breaks" you deserve, maybe you should start looking at how you are going about achieving your goals and try to determine if you actuallly deserve the results you are looking for based on your effort and integrity.

luck does exist ,no question about that, all universe in on the move ,but not everything that seems bad luck is , in fact sometimes ,bad luck is better than good luck , 2 guys were playing poker for big stakes ,one guy was having a bad run of cards , he called this bad luck, he losted all his money to the other guy , as the other guy was leaving the place were they were playing , 2 men had been waiting for the winner to jump and attack on him ,they took all his winnings plus , because he fougth to defend him self , got shot in the rigth eye and lost it, the other guy was on his way home to see his wife , real scared ,saying as he walked away , why do i have such bad luck............. :)

Do we have a victim here? Luck is something you make for yourself. What you focus on expands. So, if you are focusing on what you are missing, it expands and you will continue to miss. If you focus on winning, while you may not win you will move toward success more easily. People who "get the breaks" are people who look for opportunities. People who "never get breaks" usually don't bother looking for opportunities but expect them to come up and bite them on the ass. So look for opportunities and expect the best.

Maybe you would be interested in reading my book – No Such Thing as Luck – A Biblical Perspective You can find it at www.nosuchthingasluck.com Thank-you , Charlie Johnston