Understanding The Luck Factor

Do you believe in luck or fate? Do things happen for a reason, or because you’re in the right place at the right time? Carolann Iadarola has found her answer in a book. Read more from Carolann on her blog, Sassy Townhouse Living.

Did you ever ask yourself, what does it mean to be lucky? Do you look at yourself as a lucky or unlucky person? Why does it seem that some people take short-cuts and are generally lazy or unmotivated and have “all the luck” while others who are hard-working do-gooders are very unlucky?? Does having luck mean finding the perfect partner, or achieving life-long goals and ambitions? Yikes! All these questions! Well, you are not alone in the asking. At some point, many of us have asked ourselves these questions. I’ve always been enthralled with the topic of luck ever since I can remember, and I wanted to understand the dynamic of the luck factor mystery that quite often seemed elusive. 

Understanding The Luck Factor

The very first book I read on luck was called The Luck Factor  by Richard Wiseman. He was born 1966 and is a Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. His book provides the reader with an eye-opening and scientifically proven way to understand, control, and increase your luck. Wiseman’s scientific investigation is based upon interviews and experiments with people who consider themselves either lucky or unlucky. It took him several years to complete his study.

Wiseman believes that lucky people simply possess four basic psychological traits unlucky people don’t. They are: the ability to maximize chance opportunities, to listen to “gut feelings,” to expect good fortune and to see the bright side of bad luck.

I was young and seeking a deeper understanding of life when I first read it. As I was reading it, I was filled with the anxiety of trying to understand what luck is and why some people are luckier than others. It wasn’t that simple. Upon completion of reading the book, I had a much greater understanding of what luck was and what I intuitively needed to do to fit snugly in the category of “lucky people”. I realized in part, it was largely about your belief system, how you think about yourself, and how to listen to your intuition.

Wiseman says –

Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

Your General Attitude: Do you generally believe you are lucky or unlucky? This question plays a huge role in whether or not you are indeed lucky. We all have unlucky events that happen to us. Some, more than others, but it’s how you handle these situations that define your luck. Personally, I’ve had a few health issues that might have knocked some for a loop, but my attitude about them has allowed me to heal and continue on happily. After reading The Luck Factor, I realized it was my attitude as well as my outlook on life that made me lucky or unlucky, and not a series of unfortunate life events or some random cosmic coin toss. I learned regardless of any negative situations that arose in my life or my loved ones lives, to make sure my positive attitude was intact and my outlook remained positive. I got in the habit of always being thankful thinking these bad situations could have been worse! While simply thinking positively doesn’t miraculously turn a bad situation into a good one, it does contribute to your overall attitude about life, love, and happiness and that translates into luck!

Perseverance: When faced with a challenge, are you more likely to give up easily? Do you tend to see adversity as a roadblock or as an opportunity to take the task head on? This too plays a huge role in defining your luck. Lucky people by nature always take the challenge they are confronted with and are relentless about never giving up. Bitching, moaning, and complaining doesn’t solve anything nor does it get you where you need to be. Sure, we all complain, but when you hear yourself complaining say the word STOP either to yourself or out loud if necessary. This will bring you awareness and allow you to center yourself. It’s a trick I often use when I hear myself overly complaining.

Opportunities and Being Able To Recognize Them: They are everywhere! Another huge factor in luck is to be able to spot the opportunity and fully immerse yourself in it. If you walk blindly through life being self-absorbed you will never see the wonderful opportunities in front of you. Observe everything and allow yourself to see the golden moment instead of walking around with blinders on. Once you open yourself to these moments, you will allow yourself to meet the right people and be in the perfect place for that opportunity to turn into magic. Step outside of yourself and realize that life isn’t just about you, but it’s also about the people around you! People will instinctually know this and want to work with you, network with you, and be around you.

Wiseman states that his personality tests revealed that unlucky people are generally much more tense and anxious than lucky people, and research has shown that anxiety disrupts people’s ability to notice the unexpected.

Superstition: Superstition doesn’t work! Richard Wiseman says it’s based on outdated and incorrect thinking. Most of us have certain superstitions that we lug around with us daily. Using scientific research, Wiseman has shown us that believing in superstitions doesn’t work. There are times when I find myself in situations where if I see a ladder up against a wall I walk around it. If I see a black cat walk past my path I make the sign of the cross or if I spill salt it goes over my left shoulder.  All of these examples are magical thinking. This type of thinking has been passed down to us for generations. We need to stop this type of negative thinking and realize there aren’t any outside mystical forces at work against us.

You can also read more about Wiseman’s book and his research HERE.

This short video of Wiseman’s research will better explain his work and research.

The Law of Attraction: I also became a huge fan of this book – The Secret by Rhonda Byrne – when it first was published in 2010. I immediately knew this secret Byrne wrote about held meaning and value, and I ran out to get a copy. What does this have to do with luck? Everything! You can apply this law to every aspect of your life – money, health, relationships, happiness, and all interactions with people you have!  It has a lot to do with your general attitude too! It’s not just about wishing for money or good health, but rather to believe that every thought you have becomes a real thing, a force – and that you are the transmitter. Our minds are very good at making reality happen and what you think and believe you make come to life. You can create your own reality with your own thoughts and words. If you think you are lucky you will be lucky even in what can seem to be the unluckiest of scenarios. You can create self-fulfilling prophesies through positive expectations.

The Outcome: Based on the four principles of Wiseman’s book and research, these four pointers below summarizes his work.

• Maximize your chance possibilities and always try to be alert to opportunities.
• Listen to your lucky hunches. When you hear your inner voice speak – listen!
• Expect good fortune – tell yourself you deserve luck and believe it.
• Turn bad luck into good. Repeat – It could have always been worse.

Reading and researching luck over the years has taught me many valuable lessons. Wiseman’s book has helped me to transform the way I think about life, luck and my role in it. One thing is for sure, I was very lucky to have read when I was younger because it prepared me for many obstacles yet to come.  It also enabled me to understand that luck, just like anything else in life isn’t about magic, or what astrological house the moon was in that month, but rather luck is based on your attitude, perceptions, and perseverance.