7 Steps To Make Your Own Luck

Written by Founder and CEO, Sara Potler LaHayne

We can’t all be Irish, but we can all get lucky in time for St. Patrick’s Day next Friday.

By definition, luck is the success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions. According to that logic, the key to our own happiness lies within each of us. Psychologist Richard Weissman set out to prove the power of positivity and influence our own actions have on our sense of “luck” and in fact, he found the phenomena similar to a “self-fulfilling prophecy,” and wrote all of his findings in his best-selling book, The Luck Factor. According to Weissman’s studies, “luck isn’t due to to kismet, karma, or coincidence…lucky folks think and behave in ways that create good fortune in their lives.”

So what are some steps we can take each day to ensure we’re putting our best foot forward?

1. Get out of your bubble.

This is a phrase that has been thrown around quite a bit these last few months, but getting out of your bubble isn’t just limited to politics or geographies. It’s also opening yourself up to new experiences and adopting a new outlook on life. In putting yourself in unfamiliar situations, you will extend your reach beyond your bubble and into new territories – just make sure to continue tending to those already existing relationships in your life.

2. Write it down.

With the amount of distractions we’re bombarded by daily from texts to tweets to random people on the street, it’s easy to forget the little wins in life. A great way to help tally up the little moments of luck is to keep a journal. In providing yourself with a bird’s eye view of your daily accomplishments & successes, it’s easier to put things in perspective and see the bigger picture at hand. What better reminder of how lucky you are than reliving it at the end of each week?

3. Don’t be afraid to take risks.

We’ve all heard the saying no risk, no reward right? Well it’s true, you do miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone will open you up to new experiences, allow you to act on resulting opportunities and soar to new heights. Let intuition be your guide; you know yourself better than anyone.

4. Set intentions.

If luck is in our hands, then it is up to us to help shape what that luck looks like to each of us. In taking the time to reflect on what it is we want out of life, we can take a step back even further and help identify what it is we need to do to get there. Think of luck as a road trip. If we understand what milestones we must hit in order to reach our final destination, it allows us to focus on those “pit stops” that ultimately lead us to where we want to go. We use intentions to signify awareness of what those challenges – or “pit stops” –  may be and what we need to do in order to get where we want to go.

5. Celebrate your failures.

Failure is inevitable. It’s crucial to remind ourselves that we are human and what you are experiencing now will serve you in your own growth and development. Our mistakes are part of the journey. It’s important to remember not to let negativity set in and affect your actions and perceptions going forward. After all, it’s not the end of the world, right?

6. Save room for spontaneity.

At Move This World, we speak to the importance of rituals often, but one of the biggest reasons why structure is so critical to a healthy life balance is the resulting space it leaves for moments of spontaneity. Creating an environment of stability in your life allows you to feel more comfortable in seeking out new, creative possibilities. When we have structure that grounds us, we can be more free in our creative risk taking.

7. Practice gratitude every day.

We’ve all heard the saying “when it rains, it pours,” but the same logic goes for sunshine. Have you ever noticed that when you’re having a good day, everything just seems to fall into place? That’s because positive thinking has proven benefits on your physical, psychological and social health. Gratitude helps to shift our perspective from a place of lack or deficit, to a place of fullness. It’s important to practice showing gratitude regularly in order to stay positive and remind ourselves why we are thankful for each and every day.

Luck is all about perception, so above all, we encourage you to exercise the most important tip of all: mindfulness. Focus on the present and what’s happening right now. Luck may find you more often than you think, just make sure you don’t miss it.

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