Luck vs. Intention

When I look at my bleak situation, I have to wonder how much of it I've brought on myself and how much is simply a matter of luck--or in my case, the lack thereof--at least of late.

Certainly our intention, as reflected by our attitude, has everything to do with our experience of our circumstances. We always have a choice to look on the negative or positive side of life--to experience the glass as half-empty or half-full. But what makes the difference in the water getting into the glass in the first place?

Living serendipitously and with faith that everthing is as it should be (for whatever reason), we sometimes find exactly what we need in the most unexpected places. For example, let's say I have a choice whether to spend the next half hour seaching the classifieds for potential jobs but can also spend that same time responding to an interesting comment on one of my blogs. Perhaps, I'd rather respond to the comment, even though I don't believe it to be the best use of my time. But perhaps, through that communication, I find that the person's uncle lives in my area and just happens to be looking for someone with my skills. Had I taken the other route and sent out resumes, perhaps (as has been happening for the last year), I wouldn't hear anything back from any of the jobs I applied for.

How do we decide what course of action is most likely to move us toward our goals and our dreams? Is there anyway to know? Or is the best we can hope for to follow our hearts and maintain faith that somehow things will work out?

What do you think?