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Do you ever feel like your good days and bad days happen totally at random? Do you ever have a streak of good luck followed by a sudden streak of bad luck? Do you have a fantastic practice or pre-game skate, and then, by a series of unforeseen and unfortunate events, you somehow tank during competition? Why does this happen? Well, that depends on the situation. Maybe you were just a step behind the play, or maybe your defensemen were caught sleeping, or maybe you really had no chance to make a save on that particular game-winning shot. Maybe it really was just bad luck. Completely unavoidable and inescapable, we may feel that no matter what we may have done or would have been able to do, there was no way to avoid the perils of this fate. For reasons unknown, some powerful invisible force is simply out to get you. It’s some sort of sinister payback for something you did wrong earlier in the day. Grow up. Nobody is out to get you. But this still begs the question of whether or not luck is out there waiting to startle and surprise us. Within the sheer chaos of a hockey game, is it possible to guide yourself to be in the right place at the right time in order to take advantage of your next unsuspecting lucky break? On the flip side, is it possible to avoid certain invisible pitfalls that randomly weaken your ability to perform at the top of your game? More often than not, young athletes attribute successes and failures to plain old good or bad luck. They tend to believe that their performance on the ice is simply a result of being in the right place at the right time, or not. Young goalies buy into this notion because they fail to examine the series of decisions and actions that lead to a lucky or unlucky break. It is easier (and in following with human nature) to attribute our perceptions of who we are, how we feel, and the opportunities that come our way to external sources rather than internal tendencies. We believe that we can only reach our highest potential when everything and everyone else is aligned with what we desire. Unfortunately, hinging our emotional, mental, and physical well-being on the actions of others can put a massive road block on our journey to becoming an elite goalie. Therefore, we cannot gauge how we feel based on the actions of another. Rather, we must travel our own route according to our own individual road map, all the while allowing positive emotions and a strong mental approach to guide us. When we focus our attention on growth, or on the process instead of the product, good luck and bad luck become irrelevant because all events are part of the larger picture of our lives. When we practice, train, compete, or do any other activity that leads us in a positive direction along the path of development, we pave the way for opportunities to present themselves to us regardless of their form. As a result, when we stay true to ourselves and our individual desires, we clear a path for opportunities. We cannot be sure when those opportunities will occur, but with careful and intentional preparation we can be sure that we will be ready when they do. Everything happens for a reason. Every time you lace up your skates, remember that each day is a stepping stone, a small but significant part of the whole. If a random string of bad luck acts as one of those stepping stones, then does bad luck really seem all that bad? It shouldn’t, because it should become quite clear that it happened for a reason. That reason may be shrouded in mystery for now, only for your future self to discover, but with a positive mindset, you’ll soon earn some good luck, and that may lead to an opportunity that could have only come with the bad luck before it. With that in mind, always strive to perform your best during every practice and every game. By doing so, you will learn the same lesson that every elite goalie has learned; that within your preparation, opportunity awaits. Now luck has no real bearing on who you are, and now you are free to write your own story of success.