How to create your own luck - 5 steps to the life you want
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
This quote from Seneca triggered me to create this blogpost.
We might think luck is coincidence, that it's out of our hands, or that it's only for the lucky few. But luck is something that can be created. It's something that you can influence. You can learn to apply the principles that strongly contribute to becoming lucky.
Life is more malleable than you think.
Are you ready to become more lucky in your life? And to more easily move towards the life that you want?
If yes, apply the following 5 strategies.
1/ Decide what you want and focus on it.
If you have clarity (what do you want to achieve and why) and create a clear focus on this, your brain will start picking up things in your environment that can support that goal.
Experiment
Look around you and try to see as many RED things as possible.
Red, red, red. GO!
Ready?
Now list all the yellow things you've seen.
Chances are you haven't picked up anything yellow. Why? Because you were focusing on red. The yellow things are probably there, you just didn't take them in consciously.
If you want more yellow in your life, start focusing on it, it's there.
Another example that explains this principle is the buying process of a car: suddenly you see the car you're considering much more often in the street. Your focus on the brand or specific type of car is wiring your brain in such a way that it will pick up things relevant to this buying process.
So relevant possibilities and opportunities for the thing, experience, or result you want, become more easily visible when you start putting focus on it, making it seem that you are lucky. But you created it!
The science
The neurological reason for this: we have an incredibly high amount of stimuli to process on a daily basis, too many to consciously treat. So our brain found a way to only filter out those stimuli that are relevant for us. Relevance is increased when we put focus on something, thus triggering our brain to let in the stimuli related to that focus.
For more information on the power of focus and how it can be explained neurologically by the Reticular Activating System, you can check the masterclass I’ve given on the brain, as of 42min 55sec.
And for some extra information on creating clarity, you can check this blog post.
2/ Envision your future.
Let’s add an extra layer on top of the focus point: visualizing the future you desire.
It amplifies the focus element ánd it puts you in the energy of having it already, especially when you step into the emotion of that future vision. Without going to much into the quantum physics details, the energy during your visualization will put things in motion and will move you toward that vision. It’s the law of attraction at work, helping you to manifest what you want.
If you, on the contrary, always focus on the past and what you've known up so far, you risk staying stuck in similar experiences and similar mental and physical states. You keep on repeating what you know. There’s nothing wrong with that but if you don’t want to keep living the same life with the same emotions, situations, and outcomes, or if you don’t feel happy in your current reality, it’s beneficial to break that pattern.
I believe that most of us have some desires that have not yet come to fruition, so why not take some steps to create more luck towards that desire?
As the below quote mentions, focus on who you want to become, not on who you are or were.
Put your energy in creation, not in stagnation.
Check out this post for some extra inspiration on this topic.
3/ Believe.
Believe in yourself and believe in your vision.
Did you know that your brain is constantly seeking for validation of your beliefs? And that this influences your behavior?
It's a self-fulfilling prophecy: beliefs influence expectations, which influence behavior, which influences results, which reinforce your beliefs.
The self-fulfilling prophecy of beliefs.
For example:
If I believe I’m bad in mathematics, I will feel limited in this domain and my expectations for succes are low. This will make me function sub-optimally and might demotivate me to put in the work to improve. This will then lead to sub-optimal results, after which I think: “You see! I’m not good in math!”, which confirms my initial belief and might make me feel unlucky. A self-fulfilling prophecy indeed.
So choose your beliefs wisely.
Tip 1: if you’d like to change some of your beliefs, it’s crucial to take action to prove the new belief to yourself. The more votes you cast for the new belief by behaving in congruence with it, the sooner it will be internalized.
I know I state this complex topic quite simply here. We are often not even aware of our beliefs, so how do we start?
Tip 2: Start with building awareness around your beliefs (journal, meditate, get a coach, …) and then actively work with these insights, keeping that future vision of yourself in mind. And I promise you, you will be changing! You will be experiencing more luck in your life, you will be moving toward what you really want, step by step.
Another tip on working with your beliefs can be found in this blog post.
4/ Find peace of mind in the present moment.
A fourth element that has an impact on your luck is your peace of mind.
If you have peace of mind, you're more alert to what is happening in the present moment ánd you're automatically in a positive state. This brings joy by itself. In this state of mind, it’s easy to see the good and to be appreciative for what you have or for what is.
Feeling calm and having peace of mind means you feel safe and at ease. It’s a state from which we can more easily create, be more productive, be open-minded, joyful, … which supports you in taking steps towards what you want.
Peace of mind also supports the focus point discussed above: it will help you to see the opportunities that are right in front of you that you would miss if you were stressed or constantly busy.
Now you might be thinking: my mind is so chaotic and there is so much on my plate… What can I do?
A trick is to USE the present moment to create your peace of mind. It’s a really powerful tool, simple (but not always easy). Do it for example by closing your eyes and turning your focus inward for a moment. Pay attention to your breath or to what you feel in your body. Or put on a guided meditation audio or some calming music and try to be fully present with it. Or look outside of the window and really take in what you see, without seeking distraction.
Step by step you will be learning to manage your busy mind better, leading to more moments of peace of mind.
5/ Invest in your happiness.
Last but not least, linked to peace of mind, is using happiness as a workable element in your luck and for achieving what you want.
When you’re in a happy state, things flow easily, focus comes more naturally, your curiosity grows, energy becomes abundant, you lift people up, you are kinder, you are more appreciative, your face lights up, you attract people.
Simply said, life is good. Nothing feels like effort and there is little tension. You will feel lucky regularly as a natural side-effect of this state of mind.
Therefore prioritizing your happiness is also a powerful step to create more luck on your road towards your future vision. I actually believe that investing in your happiness is the most powerful thing you can do to live a life fully lived.
For more insights on happiness, check the resources page and the many articles I’ve written on happiness on the blog page.
Summary
Life is more malleable than we think and luck is something we can influence.
I’ve given 5 tactics to create more luck in your life, within the context of a goal or dream (which is needed to frame luck: luck for one could be misfortune for another).
First get clear on what you want and why you want it, and then put obsessive focus on it. This focus will create unexpected positive events.
Use the power of visualization to strengthen that focus ánd to activate the laws of nature that will support your progress towards that goal.
Assess and adjust your beliefs so they support you in creating the life you want and in seeing luck for luck.
Work on your peace of mind. A calm state of mind is open, creative, present, productive and joyful, all qualities that support creating and noticing your own luck.
Invest in your happiness. It is THE catalyst for a life fully lived. The energy you’re in when you’re happy draws in more positive elements (people, situations, things, …).
Working on this foundation will increase your luck, no doubt. Unexpected positive events and synchronicities will occur more often. Keep your eyes open for them!
Do you know someone that you admire and that you consider lucky in one way or the other? People for whom things seem to go so easy? You can be like them. Apply this foundation and people will start thinking of you in the same way. And you now know that you created that luck yourself.
For more inspiration, feel free to follow me on Instagram or subscribe to the newsletter. Or check out the THRIVE programs to guide you step by step to a happy, fulfilling life.
I’m looking forward to connecting with you!
Any questions or comments? Feel free to comment below or DM me.
Cheers,
Jan
#becurious #becourageous #beyourbest
