And that kind of stuff does happen, just look at people who win the lottery :) But even in that simple example those people still had to play.

Luck, or what appears to be luck, generally happens to people who are constantly prepared to accept an opportunity when it presents itself. In fact this leads to another popular saying that opportunity is everywhere. The problem is that it is often dressed in overalls and looks like work[1].

[1] Very liberal paraphrase of Edisons quote.