Welcome back to another week of “Serve & Survey.” This week’s question is both in honor of St. Patrick’s Day over spring break and from something I’ve noticed in everyday conversations — how often people credit outcomes to luck vs. control.
People tend to explain their life events in one of two ways: either something ‘just happened’ or they made it happen. And typically, reactions will follow, such as ‘You go girl!!!’ ‘What?!?!? That’s so lucky!’ ‘Oh my God, really?’ These responses tend to point out either how ‘lucky’ someone is or how ‘in charge’ of their own circumstances they must be.
We hear all the time that luck can change everything. The right opportunity, the right moment, the right person. But at the same time, there’s something comforting about knowing what’s coming next, about feeling like your life is steady and within your control. So this week, I wanted to push that idea a little further.
If you had to choose, would you rather live a life full of luck or a life of predictability?
To avoid being too predictable (very on-theme for this week!), I decided to switch things up. Instead of only making my usual rounds through Fresh at Carmichael Dining Center and Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center, I also stopped by retail locations such as Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run, the Commons Marketplace and Kindlevan Café to get responses from those who aren’t always at the dining halls. Though, I give a huge thank-you to everyone who sees me making my weekly rounds at the dining halls and is eager to answer.
In total, I polled 70 students. Of those, 46 students (66%) chose predictability, while 24 students (34%) chose luck.
While the idea of luck sounds exciting in theory, the majority of students ultimately leaned toward wanting stability over uncertainty. Many students who chose predictability pointed to a desire for control. “I like to be in control,” one student said plainly. They added that with a life full of luck, they would always be wondering: “Is this luck or did I deserve this?”
For some, relying on luck undermines the value of effort. If good things happen by chance, it becomes harder to feel like you’ve earned them. Therefore, the outcomes of life have more to do with self-fulfillment than simply wanting to be in control. We want to be in control because we want to be satisfied with ourselves.
Others associated predictability with safety. One student said they “would rather know what’s coming,” adding that luck “can be bad luck or good luck.” While luck is often framed as something positive, it is, by definition, uncertain. Uncertainty does not guarantee a good outcome. For many students, choosing predictability wasn’t about avoiding excitement, but instead about avoiding unnecessary risk.
We have a strong desire to be in control of our lives, and it’s difficult to leave important outcomes up to chance. Ideally, things would always go right, or at least go our way. But when faced with the unknown, most people seem to prefer structure over chance. In a fast-paced and often unpredictable world, that preference makes sense. Stability can feel like a form of protection.
On the other hand, the 34% of students who chose luck appeared more comfortable with that uncertainty. Rather than trying to control every outcome, they seemed more willing to accept that life doesn’t always go according to plan. While one student admitted that they “like to see what’s going to happen,” another expressed that “it’s better if you don’t know what’s going to happen.” For these students, unpredictability is not something to avoid, but something to embrace. Choosing luck requires a different mindset of being open to whatever comes, good or bad. It is important to make the distinction that leaving things up to luck doesn’t always mean that your luck will be good. It simply means you are willing to take that chance.
The results of this week’s survey suggest that while we may talk about embracing risk and trusting the unexpected, most of us still prefer to feel like we have a handle on what’s ahead. That’s not because we lack curiosity, but because certainty offers a kind of security that luck simply can’t promise.
This was this week’s survey. You’ve officially been served. Until next time on “Serve & Survey.”
