I hear this a lot.
“Oh my gosh, you are so lucky!”
“Wait… you won a car on center court at Madison Square Garden?!”
Yes. I did.
And sure—call it luck if you want.
But here’s what most people don’t see.
Before I ever stood on center court at MSG, I wrote around 40 blog posts as part of a writing competition.
I showed up consistently.
I created content.
I shared my work.
I traveled back and forth to Notre Dame.
I put myself out there—over and over again.
It wasn’t a random lucky shot from half court.
I earned that dang car.
And before any of that?
I failed. A lot.
More times than I can count.
Projects that didn’t work.
Ideas that went nowhere.
Moments where quitting would’ve been easier.
That’s the part no one sees.
So if you’re staring at a setback or a failure right now, hear this:
That’s not your sign to give up.
That’s your sign to dig in.
Success is rarely loud or flashy in the beginning.
It’s quiet.
It’s messy.
It’s built behind the scenes—through effort, persistence, and learning from what didn’t work.
Keep going.
Keep working.
Keep believing.
Success is achievable.
You just have to stay in the game long enough to earn it.
Cheers!
Lisa
P.S. Here are some actual pics from when I won the car at MSG!
The idea that luck often masks the hard work and decisions behind success really resonates with me. It’s a helpful reminder to appreciate effort, not just outcomes.