The Art of Making Your Own Luck
More Than Just Chance - It's a State of Mind
Is luck just some arbitrary thing that comes to some and not others? Is luck circumstance or happenstance?
Good fortune has been coveted and celebrated since the beginning of most cultures. Every new year, from traditions of black-eyed peas to Danish plate-smashing rituals, we each have our own way of calling in the bestowers of fortuity. This time of year, we honor the mistress of luck with 4-leaf clovers, don our green, and begin to cheer the luck of the Irish.
Not all that glitters is gold, however. The phrase “luck of the Irish,” coined in the gold rush era, was a slight - downgrading the hard work of the Irish miners. Rather than recognizing their skills, striking gold was discounted to a happenstance of “right place, right time.” It seems it’s a common belief that luck is arbitrary in a world divided into lucky and unlucky people. By holding onto this illusion, we deny others their success story. We also forfeit our own opportunity.
Modern-day studies on the psychology of luck would say that luck is a mindset rooted in optimism. The “glass half-full people” are leaving themselves open to a law of attraction. They consistently put out into the world what they would like to boomerang back. Whereas the glass “half-empty folks” come from a more protective place and want to remain closed to the possibility of befalling bad luck. Understandable, but what else do we give up by putting ourselves in the unlucky category?
Luck may feel like an enigma. When we put the power outside of ourselves, it might seem to elude us. However, it is in our power to pivot how we think of our own good fortune. Luck is a mindset.
“What you appreciates, appreciates.” - Lynn Twist
When we invest in gratitude, our returns grow greater. We cannot always change our circumstances, but we can change how we view them. There are ways in which riches come streaming into our lives well beyond our bank accounts. Our outlook brightens when we take a few moments to recognize what we already have.
“Life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you.” - Jim Carrey & Tony Robbins
It’s easy when going through heavier things to feel like life is treating us unfairly. We can make ourselves victims of every stroke of bad luck. But, more of our metamorphosis comes from pushing out of the cocoon. The biggest life lessons often come from failures. We learn more about ourselves through disappointments. Life is happening for us to discover what we want, who we are, and the path between the two.
“Luck is believing you’re lucky.” - Tennessee Williams
An inherent belief in ourselves initiates everything. We are confident in possibility. We see our own potential. In surrendering fear of the unknown, we are energized by it. All things align, and we are able to recognize opportunities as they’re unfolding.
“Luck is being ready for the chance.” - J. Frank Dobie
What we want doesn’t always come to us. For most people, what looks like an easy boon of luck has been something pursued for months, if not years. We have to show up for our creative endeavors. We’ve worked, collected information, and sharpened skills. As we put ourselves out into the world prepared for the experience, prospects arise.
“The hard work puts you where luck can find you.” - source unknown
Diligence, consistency, and determination are the scaffoldings of dreams. In the process of moving toward goals, we meet different people and discover new approaches to bring us to fulfillment. In those golden moments when everything falls into place, all efforts come full circle to propel you forward. The magic that drew it all together didn’t happen to you, it is you.
“You gotta try your luck at least once a day, you could be going around all day lucky and not even know it.” - Jimmy Dean
There is a playfulness to lady luck. In a feeling of freedom to let go and trust, we find flow. Otherwise, caught up only in our heads, we freeze and stagnate. By taking risks and stepping in with courage, life engages us. There is a willingness to try, even without the promise of success. An ease in our attitude.
There are definitely circumstances to consider fortunate. If I compare the life I was born into with the hardships people face in war-torn countries with limited resources and little freedom, I have a very fortunate situation. Certain opportunities are more available, especially when age, race, gender, and sex are considered. For our own level of privilege, it’s our duty to be grateful. Privilege without gratitude is self-entitlement.
We actually don’t have to leave anything up to chance. Make your own luck. Use gratitude to claim your own good fortune. If luck is a mindset, how can we generate this positive psychology? We aren’t limited to waiting for some arbitrary happenstance to come change our life. Now, saddle up your unicorn and go!
