Make Your Own Luck Part 2

Posted on 15. Mar, 2009 by Susan in Luck

What do a recent concussion, losing power at the house for four days, a car accident, losing my voice, and many other minor happenings have in common?  A really lucky person.  I recently blogged about the research of luck, and how to get lucky yourself.  Soon after, I slipped and hit my head so hard on a car door mirror, that I had a concussion.  A client emailed me and asked when the locusts were coming.  I laughed.  This is no Book of Job.

What’s funny is that if you look at the past six months, I’ve had quite a few inconveniences.  But I am still lucky.  I feel lucky.  And, more interestingly, I realize that many people would use those same life circumstances to have a pity party, and claim that they are UNLUCKY.  Just take the concussion for example:  Did I love the fact that I had a goose egg on my head, was so exhausted that I had to clear my coaching schedule for a week, and was forced to actually rest?  No.

But I took that smack on the head very metaphorically.  I should rest more.  I move so fast that sometimes I don’t notice where I am going.  I got the message.  It was actually the best thing that could have happened for me to reconnect with myself and self-care.

Notice what I just did?  I retold my past in a way that was empowering for me, instead of wallowing in self-pity ick.  Self-care or self-pity?  Your choice.   And, now, your turn.

Here’s how to turn your ancient history into a good luck charm:

1.    Think about a life circumstance that was unwanted and painful.

2.    How was that circumstance PERFECT for you at the time?

3.    How does that experience and knowledge help you now?

4.    What did that eventually lead to that is good and right in your life?

From this place of empowerment in the present moment, you can let your past off the hook, and create a future filled with luck.  It’s not just for the Irish. Happy St. Patty’s Day.

Make Your Own Luck

Posted on 08. Feb, 2009 by Susan in Luck


If you feel that you are a
resident of Bad Fortune, there’s actually new research to back up what I’ve
been telling clients forever: Luck
has nothing to do with success.
That’s right. Some guys do NOT have all the luck. What they have instead, is the ability
to THINK and ACT in a way that gets them the results that they want in
life. So brush that chip off of
your shoulder and listen up. You
can make your own luck.

“He’s just lucky. He can come out
of a pile of manure smelling like a bed of roses. It’s been that way his whole
life,” a family member commented about my husband, Scott. Knowing what I know about his life, he
does seem to have “nine lives.”
But does successfully overcoming many serious traumas and situations
make someone lucky? What exactly
makes a former partier, terrible student, and chronic rule breaker (aka
mother’s worst nightmare) into an amazing partner, fun dad and wildly
successful professional? I’m not
about to hand his power over to a four-leaf clover or being born under a lucky
star.

According to my observations, and
psychologist and author of The Luck
Factor: Changing Your Luck, Changing Your Life: The Four Essential Principles,
Richard Wiseman, it’s not dumb luck.
It’s the ability to see what is possible and being open to new
opportunities.

Of course, self-help has been
saying this for years. Positive thinking isn’t just squishy, woo woo concepts,
that only tree hugging, Birkenstock wearing, organic eating new age peeps can
do. Okay, I am fully embracing
that I love trees and eat organic…but I draw the line at ugly shoes. Seriously,
my conservative, Midwestern, four wheeling husband gets this stuff, and you can
too.

Here’s how to be lucky:

1. Be open for
opportunities. I believe that
we are presented with many opportunities every single day. If we start to notice, and become
scientists in our own lives, we begin to see the connections that exist for
us. Let your guard down. Talk to
people. Be the watcher. Notice all of the unexpected things that are happening
for you, and not against you.

2. Listen to your gut. Our society spends way too much time
relying on our cluttered, hyper minds.
What’s interesting is that our gut instincts are often way more accurate
than the pro/con lists that we create from our minds. Sure, the mind and body
have to work together. But often we ignore the body all together. While you are watching for opportunity,
also pay attention to your body’s signals. I’m sure you can remember a time when your gut said “This
isn’t a good idea,” and you did it anyway, only to regret it? Me too. You body is a great tool that is free and always with
you. Pay attention to what it has
to say.

3. Think lucky thoughts. I’m not suggesting ridiculous mantras
that you do not believe. Pick
something that you believe that also feels better than your current thought
patterns. For example, “The
company received 2000 applications for the same job. The economy stinks and
I’ll never find a job,” probably feels pretty crappy and will lead to some
crappy result. The “lucky” person
who landed the job was not thinking like this, I can promise you. Replacing that thought with something
like, “I am SO qualified for this job and I will rock the interview,” is bound
to get a different and better result.

4. Do what the lucky do. Based on better feeling thoughts, you
will FEEL better, and therefore ACT in a way that will lead to the result that
you want. Ask yourself what you
want, and then what you need to THINK and DO to get that result. This is how the
lucky get luckier, the rich get richer, the happy get happier, and my beagles
get more than their fair share of beef jerky.

Scott is a great example of what
is possible. He’s had plenty of life tragedy and heartache. He learned early on how to change his thoughts
and his actions to get results. He does not let life happen to him. He creates
his luck. And I am damn lucky to have him!