We have all had our lucky and unlucky moments; times when we cursed our luck, and times when we thanked our stars. But is luck such a random occurrence as it is made out to be? Are some people born lucky, while others are just plain ‘unlucky'? Can you attract ‘good luck' and keep away ‘bad luck'?
Well, researchers believe that it is possible to court good luck, if you understand what luck is all about. They are right, for luck is nothing but the result of having made the right decisions, been in the right place, or said or done the right thing.
Of course, there are some things beyond our control, but this accounts for only about 10 per cent. The remaining 90 per cent is ours for the taking!
The vital four factors
“Lucky people — without even knowing it — think and behave in ways that create good fortune in their lives,” states Prof. Richard Wiseman, in his book The Luck Factor: Changing Your Luck, Changing Your Life: The Four Essential Principles.
Wiseman, who did an eight-year study on what makes some people lucky, even outlines factors that pump up the luck factor.
Firstly, are you open to new ideas and ready to capitalise on them? Are you optimistic, anxiety-free and extroverted? Do you listen to your gut feelings? Do you expect good things to happen to you? Do you get stopped by your failures or learn from them? Well, if your personality fits this description, you probably are experiencing a great deal of good things, what the world generally attributes to luck.
“If you expect to win the game, you would persist despite the odds. On the other hand, if you expect defeat, you would not put up a fight,” explains V. Purushottaman, motivational counsellor and speaker.
Likewise, if you are open-minded, you can recognise possibilities, which you would otherwise pass over.
When Wiseman asked 400 people to count the number of advertisements appearing in a newspaper, he found that only the people who count themselves to be lucky noticed a message disguised as an advertisement that he had included in the sheet, which said, ‘Don't count. There are 43 advertisements'. The lucky ones, in this case were plain observant, and alive to the present surroundings.
Your energy levels are also crucial. As Enoch Tan, author of Secrets of Mind and Reality, sums up: “When you are in a state of positive energy, you are in mental and emotional resonance with your surroundings… and you seem to be able to do amazing things.” By the same corollary, when our energy levels are low, we are more likely to make careless or ‘stupid' mistakes, and become more accident prone.
Smile often
“If you are the kind of person who smiles often and maintains eye contact — potential clients are that much more likely to open up communication with you, and discuss deals, than if you are morose. This is provided you have the competency to deliver the goods,” elaborates S. Vijayaraghavan, human resources consultant.
As for the intuition factor, Wiseman suggests that activities such as meditation clears the mind of useless and negative thoughts, and strengthens the intuitive pointers. Wiseman also found that the so-called ‘lucky' people did experience failures.
But, they treated them as opportunities to learn and grow, and even tried to squeeze some benefit from them, even while analysing how to avoid those mistakes in the future.
Make your luck!
Be observant of opportunities, and capitalise on them
Be socially interactive
Hold yourself in a state of positive energy
Be proactive
