How To Be More Lucky

Wondering how to be more lucky? Is luck a real thing or something we have invented? Certain people seem to be lucky in life; everything seems to work out for them. Whereas others can often seem to be ‘unlucky’; failing in their relationships, struggling in work and finances and so on.

But what makes some people ‘lucky’ and some ‘unlucky’. In Richard Wiseman’s book The Luck Factor he says that those people who consider themselves ‘lucky’ often take more opportunities and more chances in their lives than those who think themselves ‘unlucky’.

The people who think themselves ‘lucky’ expect good things to come from venturing outside their levels of comfort. They expect to be lucky. Conversely, those who consider themselves unlucky are more likely to assume a more risk averse attitude – expecting experiences to turn out badly for them and so taking less chances.

How To Be More Lucky – Take More Chances

So, does being lucky mean taking more chances then? Could this be one factor in creating more luck in your life? Certainly you are more likely to create more interaction, opportunity and chance by acting on invitations and circumstances which take you out of your normal living experience. ‘Lucky’ people are more likely to take action on such occasions than ‘unlucky’ people simply because of their outlook. A pessimist will look for the bad things which could come from an invitation to a party, for example.

An optimist will see the opportunity differently and focus on all the good which could come from it. So is the pessimist more unlucky than the optimist? Tina Seelig seems to think so. Checkout her Ted Talk on the subject of luck.

Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone

As we become more settled in life we can often neglect to take those little opportunities to step outside our comfort zones. The walls can close in on us slowly as we become more and more accustomed to living life the way we have chosen. But this becomes less fulfilling the longer you do it for. By taking small steps outside your comfort zones, you can increase the chances you have of opening up your life to more luck and opportunity. Tina Seelig mentions three things we can actively start doing in order to increase our opportunities for luck:

• Take small risks: a risk could be anything from starting a conversation with someone you don’t know, to reaching out in an email to a friend.
• Start seeing things through the lens of possibility – Ideas which were discounted by some were adopted by others in Tina’s trainings. “bad’ ideas can hold the ‘seed’ of good ideas and opportunities.
• Be grateful for those things you already have.

Why Gratitude Is So Important

Gratitude is mentioned in many self development books from Rhonda Bryne’s The Secret to Think and Grow Rich to The Science Of Getting Rich and Working With The Law among countless others including of course many holy books.

The mind, cannot for long sustain a positive outlook and hold optimistic, positive thoughts without gratitude. Without being grateful for what you already have, it is easy to see your cup as half empty, or as slowly leaking! It is easy to dwell on thoughts of lack or of disappointment, disillusionment or dissatisfaction. Gratitude is the key ingredient to maintain positivity, even in difficult circumstances.

Key Steps To A Luckier Life

So, if you want to be more lucky in life, and attract better circumstances and opportunities here are the three basic things you should be doing more of:

1. Take more risks and become less risk averse. Say YES more! A risk can be a small thing, and doesn’t need to be anything dangerous. Send that email, make that call and strike up that conversation when you normally wouldn’t.
2. Start looking at things in a different light. Tina Seelig mentions seeing things through the lens of opportunity and possibility. Notice when you don’t do this, and if you judge something as negative or stupid and use those situations as learning opportunities to open your perspective. Even stupid ideas may have the ‘seed’ of opportunity or of something great within them.
3. Be grateful and practice gratitude daily. This isn’t just a whimsical thing. You need to actually find things to be truly grateful for. Many self development books talk about this and it is a massive key to opportunity. As your depth of gratitude grows, you’ll start seeing more and more to be grateful for in life.