How to Make Your Own Luck
If you believe you are lucky, guess what? You’ll get lucky. But, if you believe bad things are bound to happen, you’ll be right on that too. Our beliefs lead to behaviors and our behaviors create tangible results in our lives. One thing research by psychologist Richard Wiseman and others has shown, is that the people who seem to have all the luck are also the ones who expect good things to routinely happen to them.
That is a habit we can all adopt. You don’t need a lucky rabbit’s foot or other charm to lead a charmed life. But you do need to adopt the habits and mindsets and start living like you are already lucky.
Here are a few tips:
1. Be open and curious, relaxed and engaged. Lucky people, and not coincidentally, happy people according to Wiseman and others like Michael Steger and Todd Kashdan who study happiness and meaning in life, are active, engaged, curious. They participate in life, and open to new experiences and possibilities. This primes them for good luck. Because the more things we do, the more people we meet, the greater the likelihood that we’ll encounter those with possibilities rich in positive benefit.
2. Prepare for the possibility. I studied and practiced writing for years before ever writing a book proposal. And, I imagined myself as a person who writes books. So when I sold my first book, I felt “lucky” that all the pieces had come together. But, I also knew that I had done everything in my power to give myself the best shot at a sale. Examine your beliefs, your talents, your abilities and make sure that you are learning and growing and preparing yourself for all that you want to achieve in this life. Imagine yourself in the role you want to be in. When luck dawns with a great opportunity, you’ll be ready.
3. Live with awareness. So often good things are happening right in front of us and we don’t notice. Case in point: I put a piece of candy on the counter for my daughter when she arrived home from school. Instead, she walked into the house, went to the cupboard where we have nuts and granola and other healthy snacks, and pulled out a banana without ever noticing her favorite candy on the counter. Lift your head up. Expect the good stuff. Look at the familiar in a new way and see the sweetness all around and you’ll invite luck in.
