Help create your own good luck

Bryan Golden

Special to Village News

What exactly is luck? Why do some people appear to be luckier than others? Is luck a question of chance or fate or are there things you can do to improve your luck? Actually, being lucky isn’t just a matter of luck at all.

Luck is a combination of attitude, mental orientation, preparation and opportunity. Typically, lucky people have an approach of possibility whereas unlucky people have a mindset of impossibility.

Those with consistent bad luck expect to have bad luck. They advertise their expectations with statements such as “I know this won’t work,” “Nothing ever goes right for me,” “Why can’t I ever catch a break” and “There’s a dark cloud that follows me.”

People with good luck seek solutions rather than fixating on problems. They understand that every impediment has a resolution. They are flexible in their thinking and not locked into patterns of behavior. Their outlook allows them to find opportunity where others see only roadblocks, failure and despair.

When a person believes they have only bad luck, they tend to attract more bad luck. This tendency creates a vicious self-fulfilling prophecy. No one is predestined for good or bad luck. If you want more good luck, there are steps you can take to bring it about.

Keep your outlook flexible.

Imagine the following scenario. You are standing at one end of a long hallway. Your destination is a door at the other end. As you walk down the hallway, you pass other doors which are slightly open.

Unlucky people will direct all of their attention on the door at the end. They will walk past the other doors without investigating what is on the other side. Behind the other doors lie potential opportunities. When they are bypassed, there is no chance of benefiting. When they discover what they missed, unlucky people will lament how unlucky they were.

Lucky people will look into each room. They will still have the door at the far end as their destination, but they won’t ignore the others. This strategy positions lucky people to take advantage of unexpected and unplanned opportunities along their journey.

To increase your luck, maintain an awareness of what is around you. Don’t go through life with blinders that hide opportunities.

Look for the upside.

Regardless of the circumstances you encounter, you have to figure a way to make the best of them. Lucky people consistently look for what they can learn or extract from every situation. This technique enables them to recover faster and get back on track. They always maintain a mental determination to overcome whatever obstacles are encountered. They feel they are lucky because things could have been worse.

Unlucky people wallow in self-pity and become consumed with the negative. They can’t see anything positive and feel and act like a victim. They won’t take responsibility for their situation, and therefore they don’t believe they have the power of self-determination. Whatever may happen, they get frustrated with how bad things are.

To increase your luck, don’t lose sight of the fact that there is always a lesson to be learned and invariably a way out that will make you stronger. There is a solution to every problem.

Think and act as if you are lucky.

Develop an attitude that no matter what happens, you are lucky. As a lucky person, you have the ability to make the best of every situation. Act like a lucky person. Don’t talk about or dwell on problems. Concentrate and discuss solutions.

You can become lucky. Luck is when attitude and preparation meet opportunity. Since each day is replete with new opportunities, there is more than enough luck for everyone.

Golden is the author of “Dare to Live Without Limits.” He can be contacted at [email protected] or http://www.DareToLiveWithoutLimits.com.