The Meaning of Luck: Stories of Learning, Leadership and Love

by Steve Waugh

In a year in which back-to-back Ashes Test cricket series will be staged, former Australian captain and 2004 Australian of the Year Steve Waugh has finally written a follow-up to his best-selling autobiography ‘Out of my Comfort Zone’. In ‘The Meaning of Stories of Learning, Leadership and Love’, Steve explores the concept of luck, based on his experiences in the worlds of sport, business and charity. He begins by recalling the potentially devastating experience that rocked his life two and a half years after he retired from cricket. ‘The best example of my take on luck is my wife Lynette, who in 2006 suffered a stroke,’ he explains. ‘She nearly died and would have died if Australia’s best neurosurgeon had not been on hand to treat her. Today, she calls her illness a “stroke of luck”, which she can do only because she fought so hard to regain her health and strength. She is lucky, but only because she chose to be.’Lynette is the first of a number of characters in the book who have triumphed over adversity. There are cricketers, but also Olympians, coaches, business and community leaders, and, most important of all, some of the brave children Steve has come into contact with through his philanthropy in India and Australia. The stories in The Meaning of Luck and the way Steve tells provide a ‘life guide’ for people seeking to progress not just in sport, but in whatever direction they choose. Each chapter carries a message about leadership, maximising potential, having fun and getting something out of life.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Sports, Autobiography

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Steve Waugh, the embodiment of true Australian grit, evolved from a raw 20-year-old talented batsman into a cricketer who eliminated risk from his game. He led Australia in 15 of their world-record 16 consecutive Test wins and to the 1999 World Cup title, playing 168 Tests and collecting 10,927 runs on the way.

He retired in January 2004 as the most successful captain in the history of Test cricket, with 41 wins in 57 Tests.

In his time as captain, Waugh fashioned Australia into arguably the greatest team of all time. A batsman who mixed mental courage with natural ability, it was Waugh’s contribution as a captain that has seen him become a legend of the game.

In many ways, Waugh captained as he played: unyielding, aggressive, determined and with a never-say-die attitude. His brand of leadership revolutionised captaincy

Over the years, Waugh has also shown that he believes in using sport as a means to help the deprived and the underprivileged and he has backed those beliefs in India in a determined and practical way at a home built to house the children of lepers in Udayan, Calcutta. He has been helping Udayan since an aid group took him there in 1998, making regular visits and helping raise funds and donating his own money.

In Australia, the Steve Waugh Foundation provides support for young people, up to the age of 25, who suffer from chronic and rare illnesses. The Foundation particularly helps disabled, neglected, abused children, and street kids and youngsters from educationally, economically and/or emotionally disadvantaged backgrounds.

A popular figure in the eyes of the Australian public, Waugh has been included in a list of one hundred Australian Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia, awarded the Order of Australia and the Australian Sports Medal

Waugh is a keen photographer and has an prolific author of thirteen books. He insists on writing them himself, in long hand, rather than with the assistance of professional journalists. His books, including his autobiography “Out of My Comfort Zone” provide an insight into the mind of Steve Waugh. Steve’s most recent book is “The Meaning of Luck”

Reviews

[Shankar Rajesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Steve Waugh fan and therefore one needs to excuse the bias here. Told in true Steve Waugh fashion, this book is a treasure trove of great anecdotes, not just sporting anecdotes. Starting off with his wife Lynette Waugh's battle to recover from a stroke, Waugh weaves a tapestry which is highly colourful and rich.

In his search to communicate the meaning of luck, Waugh goes way beyond the Cricket field. We see Nelson Mandela, humility personified, when he poses with the support staff of the Buckingham Palace and wants to click his picture with them. We see Nelson Mandela again when he calls an eleven year old Afrikaner kid and introduces him to an impressive, regal looking President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana - a clear message of what nation building meant. We hear lessons he has learnt from the field of business, especially never rushing to do a deal. His views on dealing with the ethics of doing business with tobacco and alcohol companies is interesting. In his effort to hire a CEO for the Steve Waugh Foundation, one thing that stood out in his interviewing process was his search for candidates who had faced adversity, faced setbacks and emerged stronger from the experience.

A radical thinker, who does not hesitate to learn from other disciplines, Waugh's proposal to use the polygraph test to prevent corruption in sport has a lot of merit. One will never know whether this proposal will be accepted, but I did appreciate the thinking process here.

As an Athlete Liaison Officer and mentor, Waugh has had a very close view of the Australian Olympic Campaigns. Cyclist Anna Meares and skater Steven Bradbury overcame near crippling injuries to achieve olympic fame and remind us of Muhammad Ali's famous words, "I might get knocked a thousand times, but my heart never goes down". The story of the Australian Synchronous Swimming squad is an eye opener: here is a discipline which constantly has to defend itself as a sport, has no infrastructure or support whatsoever (yes in a developed country and sporting nation like Australia!) and the athletes go through a lot of challenges to just participate - this resonates with the story of many Indian sports disciplines, except Cricket (though Cricket at the domestic level in India especially grassroots shares the same story - poor infrastructure, poor access, poor safety)

The best stories, or lessons, however, are of the children who suffer rare diseases and are supported by the Steve Waugh Foundation. These kids struggle for what we take as granted - for e.g. pronouncing a word, ability to play and enjoy sport - and yet live with a lot of courage.

In his book Waugh says, "Regret is a terrible emotion because it continues to eat away at you like salty air does to metal. Sportspeople can live with defeat, but regret never dilutes over time. If anything, it multiplies. Regret comes when someone gives in because he or she has decided before time that the goal or target is unrealistic. The fire in th belly must be there and you have to want to do it for yourself." Having read Steve Waugh's Captain's Diary titled "No Regrets", i know exactly what he means and couldn't agree more.

These, and many more inspiring tales told in a simple engaging manner, make "The Meaning of Luck"highly readable - not for any literary merit, but for the lessons they hold.

I would definitely recommend a read.

[Toni Kely-Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its summer, I'm on holidays and its cricket season so I had to read this by my favourite cricketer ever Steve Waugh! This wasn't a book so much about cricket but a series of stories about leadership, values and life lessons. My favourite word of advice 'Too often in life, we worry about titles and ranks rather than concentrating on the task at hand and doing the best job possible' Three cheers to that

[Maynk Desai]

The writer stays truely hooked to the title and does enormous justice to it. The meaning of luck, A hell lot of life lessons to be learned from this book. Took my respect for Steven Waugh a notch higher after understanding what luck actually means, He was not lucky to be rated higher than his more talented bro, he was not lucky to captain Australia, not unlucky to lose that test in India, Not lucky to hit that century on the last day of a test match, not Lucky win the WC, not lucky to get a grand farewell. His persistence and his never say die attitude got him there, And that is my greatest take away from this book. Thank you Steve.

[Jef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having followed Australian cricket since the mid 90's I was "lucky" enough to see most of Steve's career!

Enjoyed reading the book that goes through more about his cricketing life. While I'm somewhat bias given my passion for cricket I'd recommend this one for more than simply the cricket fan 😊👍

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

To summarise Steve Waugh's book, I would have to say that it's about "the harder I work the luckier I get". Lots of examples, not only from his life but others also, which make the book very readable, though I did feel it was a bit too long and a bit preachy. Very good though.

[Peter Langston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't Tim Winton or even Peter Fitzsimmons quality writing but in terms of passion, it can't be faulted. Waugh concludes that whilst luck exists in life - as it does in sport - its the hard work, determination and strength of character which puts you in the position to benefit from luck. His examination of Steven Bradbury's famous last man standing win at the winter olympics is the best case ion point. Many remember it as luck that the other four competitors fell down and Bradbury won the gold but few know that six years earlier he had his thigh opened by a skate, lost two thirds of his body's blood and almost died on the track. 111 stitches and three years later, he fell trying to avoid another fallen skater and broke his C2 and C3 vertebrae in his neck. Waugh tells other inspirational stories that will move you and offers much in the way of advice as to how success can be found. He makes little of the relationship with Shane Warne, certainly not feeling the need to attack his former team mate. It's a light but interesting read by a constant diarist. Waugh published this himself, entering into an exclusive marketing deal with Big W for distribution and has set a price much lower than it might have been. All of which makes up for the rather simple style.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book that highlights Steve Waugh's beliefs on life and leadership. There are plenty of little chapters that give insight and advice from Waugh and others. It's an inspiring book with plenty of quotable quotes, which gives a summary of what he's learnt in his 30+ years in the game of cricket and his involvement in business and non-profits. I'd recommend it to anyone, particularly those in leadership or who need a kick up the backside.

[Richard Coombs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly easy read but at the same time has some inspirational stories. I appreciated the opening chapters where the author's experience as a husband and father are revealed in his concern for Lynnette, his wife, who has a stroke.

There are cricket and other sports stories that give an insight into the character of people. I thought this was well written and gave 'another side' of the former captain of the Australian cricket team.

[Anthony Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a huge cricket fan and an unabashed admirer of Steve Waugh, I naturally enough enjoyed this book immensely. There was not a lot of cricket content, but that was OK as Waugh's philosophy and outlook on life is brought to the fore in a thoughtful and at times personal perspective. Steve Waugh reveals himself to not only be a champion cricketer but more importantly a champion human being.

[Jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational book on qualities, leadership and perseverance! Easy read with memorable moments! Shed a tear here & there! Loved the way kids can bring you back to reality! 'How do you know Ricky Ponting!'

[SWC · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening story was a very personal and dramatic start to this book. The book could be said to be a number of observations by Steve Waugh about life and there were quite a few interesting quotes to start each chapter.

[Joel Ratcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. I really enjoyed the inspiring stories about life and leadership. Steve Waugh is a real Australian hero!

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot. Thanks Chris!

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this motivational and Steve Waugh is a very impressive role model!

[Shivprakash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had the pleasure of receiving the signed copy of the book from Steve in Sydney.