6 Ways to Be Your Own Lucky Charm

Some people seem to have all the luck: Trust funds, lottery winnings, a handsome Prince Charming to sail into the sunset with, and a life that just seems lucky. But others seem to have chosen the shorter stick: Not getting ahead, always just getting by, with struggles meeting them at every turn. The question is: Is luck sprinkled on the fortunate and hidden from everyone else? Who gets all of it while some are left in the dust?

Pondering this, I thought about my own journey and began to dissect it piece by piece. Where was luck involved? And what is luck?

I wasn’t born with a silver spoon, my family struggled financially; I wasn’t born in a big city with endless possibilities, I was born in the Deep South; I didn’t go to a big, fancy university, I was a high-school dropout.

Today, my life looks totally different.

How?

Because I am a lucky lady who has created EVERY SINGLE BIT OF IT.

Truthfully, if I can make my own luck, so can you.

Richard Wiseman, PhD, spent a decade studying why some people seem to get all of the luck. In his book, The Luck Factor, he reveals his discovery:

“Luck is not a magical ability or a gift from the gods.

Instead, it is a way of thinking and behaving.”

After 10-years researching the “Luck Factor,” he determined that only 10 percent of our life outcomes are random.

The other 90? That’s defined by how we think! How fabulous!

So.. if you really want to turn on your lucky charm (yes, that’s YOU!) here are some ways that have worked my clients and myself:

1. Look for serendipity

Do you ever wonder why one person sees the $10 bill lying on the pavement, while so many others walk right past it?

Cultivate serendipity: Every morning, get excited about what serendipitous events will happen during your day. Inevitably, you will find what you’re looking for. Is it opportunity? Resources? Your next step?

Or– are you looking for the wrong things? Struggle? Overwhelm? Misfortune? Things that feed your anxiety?

Make today– and your tomorrows– serendipitous!

2. Relax and Receive

If we’re feeling anxious, fearful, and overwhelmed, it’s hard to see opportunity. But… if you’re living and breathing in the present moment, you’ll see it exists everywhere.

Recognize that there is so much more in life that is for you than against you. Allow greatness to enter your life. You are a glorious woman, you deserve it.

Repeat this: “If it is to be, it’s up to me.”

3. Explore More

Take the off-the-beaten-path course through life sometimes. When you do, you are more likely to come upon encounters that lead to what some would consider lucky. You cannot expect change and a life shift within sheer routine.

Challenge: Do something different to increase your day’s lucky chances. Be reasonably unreasonable. Discovery is all about taking that unexpected chance.

Travel to a new destination, sit in a different coffee shop, take a different route to work. My favorite: get intentionally lost to find yourself again. Seek adventure daily.

4. Say Yes

In the face of opportunity, it’s natural to feel anxiety and excitement. People holding the shorter stick may think they’re not good enough, not worthy enough, or don’t have what it takes to get what they really want.

But the lucky ones will saunter right through the fear and say YES to opportunities that come their way, knowing that they are good enough to follow their dreams.

5. Build a luck network

Opportunities are found within relationships. That stranger sitting next to you on the plane, at the bar, at the conference, anywhere… Anyone could be your next beautiful and serendipitous encounter.

Challenge: Open yourself to new people and friendships. It’s okay to unplug, take the headphones out of your ears, allow strangers a conversation, and be bold enough to say hello. Some of my most treasured conversations have been with absolute strangers who were in my life at the exact moment our paths were meant to cross. That’s luck.

6. Think Lucky

Sure, you can think:  “Nothing good ever happens to me.”

Or, you can think: “I am so excited about my future and all of its beautiful unknowns.”

“I have to get it all done tonight.”

Or, “I’ll get done what I can, but something better may come my way.”

“I can’t find a man.”

Or, “I am so excited to meet the man of my dreams.”

Some things to keep in mind:

Psychology: A person is not lucky because of the cosmos, but becauses of a mindset that encourages luck. Believe in it.

Wear a smile: Wiseman found that people who are lucky smile twice as often as others and engage in more eye contact than the unlucky ones.

Don’t dwell: Lucky people use techniques to cope and thrive upon ill fortunes. Don’t dwell, take control. Be optimistic and you’ll become a luck magnet.

Expect it: Affirm that the future will be full of luck and this will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Carrying a four-leaf clover and believing it will bring you luck, just might.

Pay attention: Listen to your inner voice when it’s speaking to you. When you have a hunch, listen and follow it.

It’s up to you, darling. Find your own luck. Be your own lucky charm <tweet it>!

In the comment section below, let me know what makes you feel lucky and if there are any techniques that should be added to this list.

Luckily yours,

Tonya