MAKING LUCK

MAKING LUCK An Intentional Path to Good Fortune

by Carol Kline

By its very definition, luck is random, Become aware of our own negacapricious and based on chance rathtive conditioning about luck. Most of er than our own actions. Yet there is us have decided on an unconscious level reason to believe that might not be the whole how lucky we deserve to be. To turn our story—that living a charmed life and being luck around often requires “lifting curses”; lucky both in love and a chosen field is withrooting out those limiting beliefs we’ve in our control. Recent research in the field of acquired along the way that become selfpositive psychology and the experiences of fulfilling prophecies. consistently lucky people show that we can, Take bold action consistently. and in fact already do make our own luck. Think of action as a cosmic lottery Although there will always be an element ticket. The more actions we take, the more of chance to luck—both good and bad—we chances we have to win. To turbocharge have more influence over the events in our this step, we must get out of our comfort lives than we realize. This means a great deal zone; meet new people, change our daily of our luck can be changed, and quickly, with routine and do things that stretch us. Fora little conscious attention. tune favors the bold.

The first step is changing our ideas Learn to listen to inner mental, about how luck works. Stanford Univeremotional and physical promptings. sity professor and luck expert Tina Seelig, Being true to our deepest values, priorities Ph.D., explains that the key is “understandand intuitions, and staying centered in our ing that luck is rarely a lightning strike— bodies while we move through space, are isolated and dramatic—but a wind that the keys to being in the right place at the blows constantly… You need to build a sail right time, a common definition of luck. made up of certain tiny behaviors to catch When we focus on the elements of the winds of luck.” Here are a few ideas luck that are within our control, chance and ways for us to get started in raising our becomes less important. Begin today and sails and harnessing the winds of luck. watch good fortune blossom.

Believe it’s possible and commit

to being lucky. This is called mindset. Carol Kline is a New York Times bestsellIt may seem simplistic, but studies clearly ing author and the co-author of Happy show that people that believe they are lucky for No Reason, Love for No Reason, five are more open to and aware of the opporbooks in the Chicken Soup for the Soul tunities that come their way and act upon series and the upcoming Conscious Luck: them, which leads to a larger number of Eight Secrets to Intentionally Change Your positive outcomes. Fortune, with Gay Hendricks.