Create Your Own Luck
Luck can be a difficult concept to measure, and everyone could use a bit more good luck when it comes to work and their love life. One of the most important things to note when it comes to getting lucky is to prepare yourself for opportunities and have the ability to shake off failure and disappointment. Not every opportunity will turn out in your favor, but embracing failure and being willing to try new things can take you far in life and lead you down unexpected paths.
Studies show that people who are more positive and open-minded are better at spotting and seizing opportunities. Psychologist, Richard Wiseman revealed that, “…lucky people generate good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophecies via positive expectations and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.”
Since lucky people tend to be more optimistic, they focus on the positive aspects of life and as a result seem and feel happier. Good outcomes increase our self confidence and fuel our appetite for future risks. When presented with opportunities, most people struggle between their anxiety and intrigue. Whichever emotion prevails can form a pattern that reinforces their mentality. It explains why some people’s lives seem to be filled with good fortune and happiness, while others are riddled with regrets of words left unspoken and deeds left undone.
That little voice in the back of your head that doubts you doesn’t always speak the truth, and the lives of the fortunate are not always perfect and free of regret. Nobody feels 100% certain about all the decisions they make. If we wait until all the negative emotions have been quelled, we’d never get anywhere in life. Since extraverts thrive on their external environment, networking and and being active come naturally to them.When we become overwhelmed by the negative aspects of life, it’s not surprising to feel so unlucky and persecuted. But you can create your own luck just by changing your perspective.
This may be challenging or even feel completely foreign to some people, especially those who are introverted or pessimistic. Anxiety makes us so hyper-focused on the possible dangers, that we miss out on potentially useful information. Seeking out random opportunities every can actually boost short term and long term contentment, as well as delay cognitive degeneration.
Instead of worrying about graduating from one of the top medical schools in the country, pledge to make the most of your education (wherever you go). We don’t become lucky overnight, it’s a process, and as the android from the movie Prometheus said, “Big things have small beginnings.” By embracing the surprising twists and turns of life, we can readily prepare and adapt for the possibilities.
Tips:
Stimulate your brain often with a diversity of ideas and activities
Flex those muscles of yours (physically and psychologically)
Be true to yourself by listening to your intuition
Don’t stress over the details
Break those behavioral habits that hold you back
Allow yourself to stray from the task at hand sometimes
Endure short term costs for long term benefits
Ask yourself, “what’s the worst that can happen?”
Have the courage to do something you were afraid to do when you were younger
Avoid labeling people and situations in advance
Maintain an extensive network of friends and acquaintances
