Do you Believe in Luck?

Do you believe you are a lucky or an unlucky person? Do you look at some people and think they have all the good luck in the world?  If you don’t consider yourself “one of the lucky”, would you like to be?  Most would agree that it’s better to be lucky than unlucky.  The other day, one of my friends told me that I had the “superpower of luck”.  I laughed out loud because I never really considered that someone else would be looking at my life thinking that I was lucky!  Well, I did a little research to find out some information to share with her about what we call “luck”.

Luck is not really what we think it is. Luck is not entirely chance; a whole body of research and science shows… it is a skill set. But who’s to say why someone is lucky or not? For years, Professor Richard Wiseman has studied the principles of good and bad luck, publishing the results in the self-help book “The Luck Factor”.

Is Luck a Habit that can be Learned?

He showed that both good and bad luck result from measurable habits; for example, lucky people, by expecting good luck, might put more effort into their activities, resulting in more success, reinforcing their belief in good luck.   Wiseman says, “When it comes to creating your own luck, a big part of it is how you see yourself and how you see the world”.  Our mindset, how we think, and our overall thoughts definitely make a difference in the “luck” that surrounds us.

Lucky people tend to be outgoing, positive and observant and therefore have many more chance encounters with opportunities, each of which could bring a “lucky break” that could help them further their goals and plans than unlucky people.  Also, lucky people are more likely to look on the bright side of “bad” situations which happen to everyone and they are very resilient and can bounce back from them.  

On the other hand, people who see themselves as unlucky are very fatalistic and are convinced that they are going to experience bad luck so there is no point in preparing for that test or that job interview or starting that new business venture.  So, in turn, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  There is a psychology, a mindset, where people create their own good and bad luck. 

How Do You Describe a Bad Situation?

In a mental exercise describing being shot during a bank robbery, lucky people considered themselves lucky not to have been killed while unlucky people considered themselves unlucky to have been shot.  This example really hit home with me.  Back in 1992 when I still lived in Idaho, I was held at gunpoint in my home and then kidnapped (when the gunman took us out of our home).  Even though this incident caused me to be diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), I still comment that I feel very lucky and fortunate that we were not hurt and that the gunman was not a rapist!  In this example, I now see that I would fit into Professor Wiseman’s group description of “lucky people” and my friend’s view of my “superpower of luck”.

Professor Richard Wiseman has conducted dozens of studies over many years about why some people seem “blessed” while others perpetually doomed. His book, “The Luck Factor”, is one story after another about fortunate people who get everything they ever dreamed of, seemingly by chance. Wiseman also writes about those people whose lives are perpetual train-wrecks; they barely have a chance to pull themselves up from one random hardship before the next trouble comes their way.

Lucky People are Made, not Born

Wiseman goes on to explain that luck is not something that happens to you but something you create. He and his colleagues have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that lucky people are made, not born. That they are skilled at the things that bring luck. Life circumstances might bring fortune, but luck enables us to gain the best of it. Furthermore, by practicing those skills that make us “lucky,” even the most ill-fated among us can improve our luck.

Opportunities are all around us waiting to be seized. But only those whose minds are open, positive and prepared to see opportunities can begin to create their own luck by turning those opportunities into positive results.   Luck is not merely the result of random chance because luck always favors the prepared and willing, and here’s why:  Preparation helps you make connections with the “right” people who can help you further your plans and goals. Preparation and willingness helps make you skilled to turn that opportunity that you were open to into positive results.

Take ACTION!

Actions are more powerful than words.  Be action-based.  Be flexible.  Luck is what you make it.  But it’s not just a positive mindset that brings good luck to you, that is just the beginning.  Act on the opportunities that are put before you.  Our actions show that we are serious about putting our good luck to use.  Read on to find the link about one of the BEST ways to help you take action, become “one of the lucky”, and further your goals by making small 5-second decisions and immediately acting on them.  This will help you change your life into the great life you dreamt it could be by taking one small step after another… read my article about The 5 Second Rule Titled:  Are You One Decision Away from Changing Your Life?