[ejayz]

The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go awry. —Robert Burns

How often is the lamentation heard, “If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all?” Now growing numbers of experts, including Dr. Richard Wiseman of the psychology department at England’s University of Hertfordshire, believe individuals can act in certain ways to influence the kind of luck that comes to them.

Many of these “new” ideas really aren’t that new. Motivation experts and successful entrepreneurs Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, and Zig Ziglar have all advocated similar ideas for many years, but Dr. Wiseman appears to be the first to explore changing luck scientifically.

We humans carry powerful abilities deep within. Most people remain hidden behind negative learned traits and inherited inhibitions, but when unleashed, these same people can become a powerful force in bringing remarkable events to pass in their lives.

POWERS TO CHANGE YOUR LUCK

One inner power is the subconscious mind. Do not ignore this boundless energy source. There has been much written about the subconscious. Find out all you can and use it, because it works.

Another extremely powerful force is known by many names, including prayer, meditation, and supernatural communication. I know this works because it just impacted my life.

The person who means the most to me has a life-ending illness. She asked me what we would do and I replied, “We’re going to make a miracle.” I proceeded to contact everyone I knew, religious or not, and asked them to pray or do whatever they saw fit. At least 1,000 became involved.

What happened is difficult to comprehend. The doctors said she was dying, removed all life support and treatment, and returned her to a room to die as comfortably as possible. She almost immediately began to improve. I’m just thankful and live from moment to moment, but needless to say, I absolutely believe in inner powers. If YOU don’t, you’re missing much that your creator provided at no extra charge!

Now the power to change your luck has been added to YOUR private arsenal.

CHANCE AND LUCK ARE NOT THE SAME

Before trying to influence your luck, you need to understand the difference between “chance” and “luck.”

Merriam-Webster defines "luck" this way: "A force that brings good fortune or adversity; the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual." A few synonyms are fortune, hazard, break, occasion, opportunity accident, chance, and fortuity.

Chance does have a relationship with luck, but it’s not the same thing. Chance is a totally random occurrence, not the “force” in the luck definition. Chance enters into winning the lottery, being run over by a bus on your sidewalk, or finding the Publishers’ Clearing House gang on your front porch. You really can’t affect chance in any way; it’s totally random, like a throw of the dice.

You may, on the other hand, be able to influence the luck force in some way. All the ideas mentioned here involve actions conscious or unconscious that cause others to do--or not to do--good things for you.

AUTHORS SPEAK OUT ON LUCK

Several books advocating different influence systems are mentioned in this report. To become knowledgeable about how to change or enhance your luck, be sure to read these books. Each book has a slightly different approach, so just extract those ideas you like from each one and make your own set of actions, ones comfortable to you. If you see no change after a time, add or subtract some more. You should eventually see results.

Tom Monte and Peter Kash, in their book, "Make Your Own Luck: Success Tactics You'll Never Learn in B-School" (Business School), discuss some common ideas not typically recognized as luck triggers. They emphasize these actions may begin at any age. The sooner you start, the quicker good luck will begin to come your way.

The authors believe all success is based on trust and human interaction. Take advantage of the lucky opportunities presented to you, rather than waiting to think them to death without action.

Other actions they recommend are meeting and interacting with people even when you don’t know them. Always deal honestly with--and be helpful to--everyone you encounter. All these moves increase your luck, and you will be more successful.

A word of common sense: These ideas are not mathematical concepts; they can’t be proven without a doubt. Some outcomes may not be exactly as you wanted, may or may not occur when you desire, or may take some form you can’t recognize.

Not to worry; the methods are sound and you DO HAVE these inner powers. Continue working and you will see results.

Eight Lucky Steps

In "Create Your Own Luck: 8 Principles of Attracting Good Fortune in Life, Love, and Work," Azriela Jaffe discusses eight possibilities to attract good luck. Each behavior set has parameters attached, which Jaffe calls "Luck Builders," "Luck Busters," and "Luck Blockers." When you behave in these ways, you may bring luck or drive it away.

Some of the eight principles include: "Open Your Mind," "Ask for What You Want," "Pay Attention to Your Intuition," and "Focus on the Positive." A “Luck Journal” is included with each idea to help you incorporate that principle in your own life.

Though unable to control everything in our lives, we may be able to find new opportunities and provide an easy way for luck to enter our lives. A simple mindset change and the consideration of new possibilities can make luck happen in amazing ways for you.

Seven Secrets

In "How to Make Luck: The Seven Secrets Lucky People Use to Succeed," Marc Myers says "Lucky people take very specific steps to improve their odds of good things happening to them."

He also believes you must have an idea of exactly what it is you want. He says "You can't create good luck for yourself unless you have a fair idea of what you're trying to achieve." After that, a big part of getting luck is identifying the people who can help you achieve your goals.

Knowing the right people, however, is only part of being lucky. You must be well prepared when you meet them. If you make the wrong impression, meeting them won't help you.

Myers says most people waste time avoiding opportunities because of the fear of change. They also consume themselves analyzing the pros and cons of an opportunity rather than taking action.

Avoid these pitfalls and concentrate on achievable ways to make what you want a reality.

Another Myers idea teaches that if you work to be a resource to other people, your luck should improve. This is in synch with Zig Ziglar’s famous philosophy: "You will get everything in life that you want if you just help enough other people get what they want."

Four Scientific Ideas

Dr. Wiseman spent 10 years studying 400 of the luckiest and unluckiest people he could find. He found that the luckiest people unconsciously used four basic principles to create their good fortune:

1. They maximize opportunities by creating, recognizing, and being open to new experiences.

2. They act on their intuition and gut feelings. These same people cultivate their intuitive skills by clearing their mind of other thoughts or meditating.

3. They go through life expecting good fortune; they are certain the future will be positive. Such expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies by helping lucky people persist in the face of failure.

4. They appear able to cope with or thrive on ill fortune that comes their way.

By using all these ideas, you begin to take control of your life and what happens in it.

Your behavior controls your luck. If you are angry all of the time, few people are going to want to be your friend. Be more friendly, and you immediately have improved the odds of getting more of what you want faster.

Inaction may also influence our luck. For example, do nothing to get a raise and you won’t get one! Along the same line is the well-worn advice, “Keep doing what you’re doing, and you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.”

If taking the right action improves our luck, why do so many people spend so much time wishing rather than doing? Most experts agree it’s because we give up hope and think there is nothing we can do to improve our circumstances.

Famous Quotes Relating To Luck And Opportunity

These people were as successful as you can get, and all had their share of “luck:”

William Jennings Bryan: “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

Cary Grant: “Few people recognize opportunity because it is disguised as hard work.”
Francis Bacon: “Wise people make more opportunities than they find.”
By taking these words to heart in your own life, you can improve your luck and your chances of success!

RESOURCES: You can find them in my blog below.