Why do some people always seem to land on their feet…?

[Farmhouse1234]

Been pondering this lately, as I’ve a few friends who this seems to apply to.
Whilst I’m sure there’s an element of luck involved, do you think there are other factors? For the people I know I think it maybe also be linked to - confidence, an expectation that things will generally go in one’s favour, and being a generally positive person (or perhaps that’s a circular argument!).

The old saying is ' falls into muck , comes up smelling of roses '
Some people are just luckier than others I think

I always thought it was 'could fall in shit and stand up smelling of roses', regional variations perhaps!

Can you give an example?

It's inevitable surely that if you fall on hard times the people with confidence or drive to think
Ok well this is where we are now let's work out what we can do to change things

Are going to fare better than ones who think
This isn't fair it always happens to me I am going to sulk and mope until I feel better

Just common sense surely?

You make your own "luck"

It can sometimes be luck, but often it's confidence and resilience that do it. Some people give up straight away, others dust themselves down, adapt and move forward.

I should add, it's also because some people are always looking for someone to blame for the situation instead of taking responsibility themselves.

I live by the saying that everything works out in the end. Maybe this is me landing on my feet.

It can be luck but I also think given the same mix of luck, some people are temperamentally sanguine and cheerful, whereas others are gloomy or ruminative. The ones who think "Ah this is not so bad - I can deal with this" do better going forward than the ones who think "Why me?"

Where I'm from it's 'he'd fall in the (River) Clyde and come out with a fish in his mouth'.

The only person I know like this manages by using people.

I’m like this.

Throw shit on me, flowers grow.

I can’t be doing with wallowing, get up, sort yourself out, move on.

Rejection is redirection. Better things are down a different path.

I think a small part is chance but a large part is resilience and a positive attitude. My life probably looks 'lucky' but in reality I just don't really talk about the shit bits, I pick myself up, get over them or move on with them and carry on.

I refer you to

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king
I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing
Each time I find myself flat on my face
I pick myself up and get back in the race

I once had a friend say this about me, you always land in shit and come out smelling do roses'.

From an outside perspective, me, DH and kids have a lovely life in many, many ways. Very happy marriage, lovely kids, financially comfortable with nice home etc. However, both of us have massive wider family issues that causes us a lot of stress, we financially support multiple family Members, my DH works a very stressful job with insane hours etc. That being said we are both very peptide people with can do attitude and real grafters.

I did take offence to her saying this as she implied we were just lucky to have what we have. In actual fact we both have worked extremely hard with zero hand outs to get to where we are. And I suppose our difficult family relations have helped us be better parents in many ways. I also believe we aren't just lucky to have a happy marriage, we work on it every day to make sure we're happy.

This frustrates me too. I know someone who decided he didn't want to go to work and so didn't turn up and didn't tell them, had a little holiday and then walked straight back into another job when he came back of course on more money.

Someone else but from another country, walked straight into degree level job decided it wasn't good enough so quit and lands another straight forward as that. Has everything handed to them that they want with seemingly little effort.

They're the hardest people to talk to because they're egos are so big!

@Powderblue1 saying you always land in shit and come out smelling of roses is not saying you are lucky to have what you have. The meaning is:

to have people believe that you are good and honest after a difficult situation that could have made you seem bad or dishonest

Someone said this about me which I didn't quite get - I married a man when I was 40 who had a very well paying job, and got pregnant straight away. I think she felt it though as while she had been married and divorced in her 20s, her current long term partner wouldn't marry her and she had had a miscarriage with their one pregnancy.
Well fast forward ten years and I have developed type 1 diabetes in my pregnancy and my husband has died suddenly leaving me and two kids with only the house (and an uninsured mortgage). She is still with her partner in their lovely five bed detached with an acre of grounds...
And you don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Sure there probably are people who seem blessed with good fortune. But I can't think of anyone I know who hasn't either had cancer or other life threatening illness, a husband in severe financial straits, a disabled child, affairs, job loss, child with drug addiction, alcoholism ... and most people wouldn't have a clue because that's not what they project to the world in general.

@mondaytosunday I am sorry you lost your husband, that is hard.

I can think of someone this applies to whose only difficult thing they have had to deal with is their parents dying, which sadly happens to nearly all of us. She does land on her feet, because she uses people. Has no children and worked for no more than six months in her life - approaching retirement age. Has had multiple relationship breakdowns, but always finds someone else nice to bankroll her life. Is now living alone in a beautiful farmhouse she owns.

I don’t understand why you’re so resentful of this. Surely these are just two individuals who work in fields where there’s more demand than supply and/or are confident in their skills/CV and/or are good at interviews? Which means they can pick and choose jobs, and be quite fussy.

It's mostly luck.
The stupidest people can be very lucky.

Threads like this really piss me off.

People who land on their feet have solid ground to land on.

I know a family like this. They seem to get everything they want for themselves and (now adult) children with little effort required. In some ways they appear to be really good at networking and calling in favours from that wide circle of acquaintances. They'd probably be known as cheeky f**kers on here if you knew the things they ask of other people. It wouldn't bother me so much if they were generous and giving in return but they are not. They are takers and not givers.

This. They had the skills. When I worked, clients paid very well for my experience and expertise. I walked out of teaching and worked as an editor full-time for over a decade. I still edit, although much less now because I'm ill. But clients hang on because they know what they get.

I know of one colleague that has done nothing for years. I look at him and it's just bizarre. He has an alcohol problem, doesn't wash, cackles about nothing, knows nothing, refuses to learn anything, does nothing, takes far too much leave. Several people have reported their concerns even formally.

I also know of other colleagues who are really good at their jobs and very well respected that have been bullied including me.

I don't even think it's luck. But I don't know what it is

Agreed. I know a couple of people who talk about others being lucky… fact is though they are both slightly useless people at sorting their sit out. And just expect good things whist generally not having the skill or will to achieve much.