I’ve been told I’m lucky before because of what I do for a living, people I’ve met, places I’ve been, and events I’ve attended. While there’s definitely an element of luck to it, the idea that successful people sit around waiting for luck to happen is a complete fallacy. Luck is something you create and take advantage of. It doesn’t call while you’re on your couch watching TV – luck finds you at work. Here’s how to create your own luck.
1. Think Positive
Life is about perspective. Good and bad things happen to everyone. People who always focus on the bad see themselves as realists, but they’re really just cynical. When you’re negative, you’re less likely to try, and when you do try, you don’t give it your best shot.
2. Use Placebos
Kids are always after me lucky charms. Those green clovers, purple horseshoes, and severed rabbit limbs (that’s a marshmallow right?) may or may not work, but it doesn’t matter so long as you believe they do. Placebos are a powerful thing, so rub Buddha’s belly, imbibe your Jesus juice, and thank your lucky stars for every gift you receive.
3. Seek New Experiences
The definition of insanity is to continue doing the same thing the same way over and over expecting a different result. If you lack luck, put yourself in new positions. It’s easy to look at someone like Jennifer Lawrence, who was “discovered” just walking through Times Square, and wonder why that never happens to you.
It’s not like everything just fell into her lap; J-Law jumped on an opportunity you may have ignored because you were too focused on your routine. Lawrence got a lucky break, but it was only lucky because she took it. Take a chance – you never know where it may lead.
4. Show Up
The only lucky thing that’ll likely happen to you at home is bad luck, like a bullet, car, or plane hitting your house. Every single lottery winner had a ticket, if you catch my drift. You miss out on every opportunity you don’t take, so get dressed, and show up.
5. Stick Out
There’s an old Japanese proverb – the nail that sticks out gets hammered. They mean it as a way to keep people in line, but staying in line with everyone else means you’re just another drop in a bucket. You can still get lucky this way, but you’re competing with a much larger pool. Finding a way to stick out makes you the highlighted line on a page; people will be more likely to notice you, and you’ll find your luck improving.
6. Embrace Failure
Failure can easily deter you if you’re not careful. Things may not work out the way you want, but a flower grows its brightest when covered in piles of fertilizer.
Last month, I hit a string of bad luck – I found myself broke, homeless, and stranded for the majority of the month. I even spent a night sleeping under a tree in a ditch, with all my stuff in a shopping cart. It sucked, but I survived. Two weeks later, I was a VIP with an all-access pass to the Cannabis Cup. That’s the way luck goes.
7. Get on Your Grind
The more you put yourself out there and try, the luckier you’ll be. If you want to be a musician, keep playing your instrument, finding stages, and getting your name out there. Maybe you didn’t get discovered today, but you may tomorrow.
Even if you never get discovered, after you put in 10,000 hours, you’ll be an expert. At that point you won’t need to be discovered because you’ll have the experience, knowledge, and connections necessary to succeed on your own. Then, when asked what you attribute your success to, you can pick whatever lucky moments you choose.
Featured photo credit: Hans via pixabay.com
