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Do you believe in fate, or perhaps you are a person committed to the simple idea of coincidence? Then again, you could be a lucky so-and-so, someone who believes in luck above all less?

Whatever your view on life, you have to admit that there are some very strange occurrences that can seem to be well beyond the norm of life.

The same cannot be said of other aspects of our lives, which are completely predictable: DStv is always on at least repeat season 3, the beer always runs out at a party, and SA Express flights between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth are always late.

Then again, they do say that all things can ultimately be explained. Luck, for instance, has another explanation to it, and I will explain it!

In my first job, after I left law school with my squeaky new LLB (Hons) degree, I worked for Xerox, or rather Rank Xerox as it was known in those days.

I wanted to earn some decent money and that meant more than the pittance I was offered to enter the ‘profession’.

So off I went to Xerox. I was lucky at only 23 to get that chance, as it had the very best sales training school in the United Kingdom and was ruthless. You either passed an exam and achieved 90% at the induction, or you were sent home in shame on the train.

It was on that course that I was taught there really was such a thing as luck and that ALL successful people have it. What is more, it was available to everyone and you could have it whenever you wanted it.

Luck simply meant Labour Under Correct Knowledge! That is it, apply your time, energy, enthusiasm and effort where it matters, know what you want and what you need to do to get that goal, and then work blinking hard every day.

I believe in that piece of advice today as much as I did then. I will die convinced that hard, focused work is rewarded.

It was later adapted by a short South African golfer who claimed it was his idea that “the harder you practise, the luckier you get”. The truth is that he learnt it all at Xerox, where he was a photocopier sales person between golfing events!

Coincidences are a little different, and in the financial markets, we have had our fair share.

Storms and bad weather have often marked gripping days in the market. In 1987 the classic “bad day”, known as “Black Monday”, was also the day of the worst storms in living memory in the UK. Although, to be honest, there are so many bad weather days in the UK, it’s hard to find a day when the markets go down without it raining.

On a stranger note, did you know that in 1972, after the Munich Olympic massacre, a plane was flown by Muslim fundamentalists toward the Munich stadium at the closing ceremony? Nothing came of the event, but the date was 9/11 – I kid you not!

So as you can see, life has some lessons to teach us and also with which to trick us. Through it all, we must decide what is fact, fiction and fantasy.

The final coincidence, or potential opportunity, is this: can Bafana Bafana win the World Cup? Well, there may just be a sign that makes it worth putting R10 on them!

They are playing at home, as did England in 1966. They have France, Mexico and Uruguay in their group, so take a guess who England had in its group in 1966? Yes, France, Mexico a nd Uruguay!

England went on to win at home. Who knows? It could be a sign. Or is it merely a sad coincidence?

Ian Kilbride

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