Today is Friday the 13th.  So is that lucky or unlucky for you?  What is the power of “luck” that we hear so much about and how do we get more of it?  Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor, says, “Luck has the power to transform the improbable into the possible…”  In addition to his four principles of “Creating Chance Opportunities, Feeling Lucky, Thinking Lucky and Denying Fate” here are those I find expand good fortune:

1.  Heighten your awareness through increased observations and improved listening skills. (We receive 11 million bits of information from our senses every second, but we are aware of only 10-40 of these.

2.  Be more curious in situations that are routine, trivial or lack general interest for you. Look for something new.  (Challenge your brain by asking thought-provoking questions of yourself and others).

3.  Set aside some musing and reflection time everyday.  Focus on a problem and ask for the solution.  Let your mind wander on the topic.  (To find time, don’t fill your day with constant noise and stimulation.

4.  Interview successful people. What are they like? What are their eccentricities? How does luck come to them? (You don’t have to go outside your circle of family, friends and co-workers to find “high-achievers, these people have big successes too – even if they don’t fully realize it until you start talking with them

5.  Take notice of synchronicities and coincides that you notice with yourself and those you’ve interacted with. Write these down in the same place each time they occur.  Notice how your luck is improving.

Unplanned events have the potential for minor and major influence and impact in our daily lives.  Often what we perceive as negative experiences or letdowns are where luck can really shine.  Didn’t get the job?  A better opportunity can be right around the corner.  Didn’t get the client?  He/She may not have been a good match and your relationship may have been problematic. 

Focus instead on what you gained from the unexpected results and next, think outside the box on how you’ll turn that disappointment into good fortune.

What’s a recent “lucky” break you’ve had and how did you help cause it?

Tags: expand possibities, increase lucky breaks, lucky vs. unlucky, transforming the improbable

This entry was posted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 3:25 am and is filed under Personal and Professional Growth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.