Make your own luck this St Patrick’s Day…
“The luck of the Irish” is a phrase often bandied about this time of year. But are the Irish really luckier than everyone else? Are we blessed with a boundless supply of extreme good fortune that other nations just can’t seem to muster?
Well, apparently it depends who you ask.
Ask any lucky Irishman or woman and they will indeed confirm that the saying has merit. Ask an unlucky Irish person and they will no doubt scoff at the absurdity of it all and offer up some sorry tale in evidence.
Luck, it turns out, is largely a product of the choices you make. And that’s a scientifically-backed statement…
The science of luck
Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, did a ten-year scientific study into the nature of luck that has revealed that, to a large extent, people make their own good and bad fortune.
Wiseman’s research revealed that lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles.
“Lucky people create, notice and act upon the chance opportunities in their lives. Being in the right place at the right time is actually all about being in the right state of mind. ”
Principle #1 : Maximise chance opportunities
Wiseman noted that lucky people are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities. Lucky people are always trying new things.
““All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” ”
How to put this into practice?
Networking: expand the variety of ideas that you are exposed to through the different types of people that you meet and share experiences with
Adopt a relaxed attitude to life: make time for the little things, don’t assume others motives, know your priorities, pick your battles and don’t sweat the small stuff!
Be open to new experiences: remember that no one is good at anything first; put any anxieties into perspective
Principle #2 : Listen to lucky hunches
Lucky people make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition and gut feelings.
““Intuition is a very powerful thing. More powerful than intellect in my opinion.””
How to put this into practice?
Boost your intuition by employing mindfulness techniques, meditation and body scanning, and/or keeping a reflective journal
Principle #3 : Expect good fortune
Lucky people create self-fulfilling prophecies via positive expectations.
““Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.””
How to put this into practice?
Clear yourself of any ‘poor me’ way of thinking. It is not helpful and not realistic. Negative thinking is contagious because it leads to negative talk and the self-fulfilling prophecy. If you convince yourself that your life is awful, then you go about making your life awful.
Think about yourself in a positive manner & attempt to be optimistic. Think, “it just might work.” No one ever invented anything with a “that’ll never work!” attitude.
Avoid using absolute words (never, always, cannot, etc.) & replace them with neutral or positive phrases (I’ll give it my best)
Surround yourself at home and work with those who believe in you
Be patient with yourself
Principle #4 : Turn bad luck into good
Adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good. Having a positive outlook and perspective can be the one thing that transforms your life the most!
““I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.””
How to put this into practice?
Imagine how things could have been worse
Don’t dwell on misfortune or events: practice on dwelling on the good; a daily acknowledgement of what you are grateful for
Take control of the situation: take constructive steps to to improve any adverse situation - develop a plan, seek help when necessary, change what you can, identify and accept what you can’t, focus on what you can gain
Finally, set your goals for luck based on the philosophy of 1% incremental achievements
Don’t attempt to put everything into practice all at once. The continuous improvement approach focuses on making small improvements over time.
““Instead of trying to make radical changes in a short amount of time, just make small improvements every day that will gradually lead to the change you want. Each day, just focus on getting 1% better in whatever it is you’re trying to improve. That’s it. Just 1%.” ”
So there you have it. The complete guide to making your own luck this St Patrick’s Day - if you’re not lucky enough to be Irish, that is!
Go n-éirí leat!
Good luck!