Image Via Flickr User kaibara87
Luck. It’s a four-letter word that defines the undefinable. It’s the seemingly intangible spirit of grace that touches a person and turns their misfortune into wealth and happiness. For example, Joseph Figlock, a civil servant of Detroit in 1938, was said to have saved the same baby two years in a row. The poor kid plummeted from an apartment window and was destined for certain death had Mr. Figlock’s luck not been so, well, lucky. Obtaining luck like his and greater has been the object of people’s desires for centuries, maybe even more. Civilizations have always been obsessed with finding ways of how to get good luck, be it favors from the gods, the universe, karma or the just the essence of luck itself. Now, we have more tangible ways to get good luck. Here are a few that you can put into practice to help increase your odds of lucking out.
Redirect Your Thoughts
Image via Flickr User steam_rocket
Often times, we are so focused on getting things done that we miss the big pictures. We often have a bit of a hiccup in our plans to reach our goals and dote on that incident, allowing opportunities to pass us by. This is how the unlucky begin their descent into a luckless world. A psychologist by the name of Richard Wiseman performed a controlled study on a group of individuals. Some claimed to be obscenely lucky while others couldn’t find enough luck to help them tie their shoes without falling over in the morning. Those who were lucky shared a few personality aspects such as always remembering that the worst hasn’t happened, and that there was a good chance that it might never happen. These lucky folks focused their efforts more on building personal relationships be they casual or professional over simply trying to obtain a goal or thing of sorts. They kept their thoughts on the lighthearted side and remained positive, most of the time.
If You Give It, You Will Get It
Image Via Flickr User Christopher Warren
Many of us do believe in Karma. We think of the principle term “getting what you give” or “what goes around comes around.” The basis of this effort is to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to make life a little brighter for someone else. That’s not to say you should go broke trying to save the world, but it only takes 30 seconds to help someone out by giving them a hint where you’ve succeeded, helping them with their groceries or even smiling at them. As Bill Withers said, “we all need somebody to lean on.”
Just Do It
Image Via Flickr User symphony of love
You will never find your luck sitting on the couch in your home, flipping through channels and moping about being unlucky. There is a direct correlation between chances taken and opportunities earned. Stepping outside of your comfort box is the only way that you’re going to be like Wiseman’s lucky people. You have to be receptive to the world around you, take what you’re given and turn it into what you want. The more chances you take, the higher your chances of succeeding are going to be.
Talk to Yourself
Image Via Flickr User Sebastiaan ter Burg
Positive affirmations have worked for years. Dr. Masaru Emoto created a series of experiments that explored the power of words with water. Kind words such as “Thank you” and “Love” created beautiful ice crystals out of common, everyday water. However, negative words such as “Hate” or “Kill” created weird globs of lopsided crystals. If these simple words can do this to water, imagine what they can do to you and those around you. Waking up in the morning and giving yourself a good pep talk is a great way to help boost your luck. Tell yourself you are what you want to be. Give yourself a good “Rah-Rah” speech before you head off to work, school or just to run errands. The more positivity you invest in yourself, the more positive and lucky your results will be.
Ear to Gut
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Your instincts are put in place for a reason. You have to listen to them. If you’re walking home at three in the morning by yourself and decide, “I want to take a shortcut down that dark, creepy, side street,” and a small flutter erupts in the pit of your stomach, then you should heed its warning and stay away from the street. It’s trying to keep you alive. Likewise, when your gut tells you to take a chance, take that chance. The outcome might not be something that you were hoping for in the long run, but you may acquire friendships, skills or other things necessary to help you accomplish some form of goal that you have. Your gut won’t steer you wrong as long as you listen to it.
Accept It, Learn from It, Change It
Image Via Flickr User Wiertz Sébastien
Good things happen to most people. Bad things also happen to most people. When you have a run of “bad luck”, don’t shut down and refrain from ever venturing out into the world again. Instead, accept that something has happened that was less than perfect, learn from the experience and prevent it from happening again in the future. For example, someone rear ends you in slow moving traffic. You aren’t at all happy about it, but when you pull over and look at the car there’s no damage. Instead of getting angry that you were hit and your luck seems to be going “sour”, take the opportunity to make the other person smile or think of all the scenarios this little bump might have spared you from. Don’t let bad luck ruin your whole day. It’s only one part of a day that’s destined to change if you make it.
Look For It
Image Via Flickr User Beckyb
If you want good luck to come bounding your way, you have to look for it. That’s the first step to expecting it. That’s not to say that you should expect a multimillion dollar pay out from one scratch off bought at one gas station, but you should look for something in that scenario to go your way. Good things come to those who expect good things and lay the foundation for them to come their way. Expecting good luck is like expecting a car to drive on a road. It will happen, it’s just a matter of time.
Put these steps into practice. Go about them day in and day out. There will be times that you don’t want to follow through with these plans, when you may want to throw in the towel, but don’t quit. Just take time to regroup, breathe in the good chi and breathe out the bad. Once you’re feeling confident enough in your upturn in luck maybe try hitting a few slot machines, enrolling in a new class, go out and meet new people. If you’re already lucky, why not take the spin now, jump into those new classes or go make some new friends and memories. You never know what’s waiting for you until you go out and get it.