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Some 72 percent of people have a good luck charm, according to an article by Richard Wiseman called “The Luck Factor” published in the Skeptical Inquirer in May/June 2003. So most of us, I presume, do attribute some of life’s breaks and misfortunes due in some way to luck, or lack thereof.
But why does it seem that some people are so regularly lucky? They catch all the breaks, get unexpected checks in the mail and have great relationships and easy kids … while countless others are regularly unlucky. They lose their job on a misunderstanding. Their car is the one that is sideswiped in a Publix parking lot. They have rocky relationships and difficult kids. And if some are ‘lucky’ and others ‘unlucky’ the larger question is: Do we have any control over the group into which we fall?
I can’t give you a 100% formula to get you into that ‘lucky’ group, but I can give you some principles you can use in your life to set you up for more of that magic to appear in your life.
Here are three ways you can deliberately increase your luck this month.
Set an intention. What is an intention? It’s a written statement of a goal or vision you desire for your life written in the present tense positive, with feeling. For example, let’s say you want to get in better shape and lose 10 pounds. Instead of setting an intention that says, I want to lose 10 pounds, you would write your goal weight and how you would feel when you got there. So it would sound something like this: “I weigh 140 pounds and I feel energetic and healthy.” You can do this for any area. But I would encourage you to pick just one thing to focus on at a time. Whatever would make the most difference to you ... focus on that.
Be grateful. This is one area that many of us forget. When it seems your luck has run out, do you resort to complaining? Do you look with envy on those who are making things happen in a positive way? Do you give up and throw in the towel and say, “Of course this would happen to me!” I know many people who have gotten stuck in this negative pattern, and if there is one thing you should know it is that we get more of what we focus on. That being said, gratefulness is a powerful tool to get those lucky juices running again. Focus on what you do want and what you do already have. Go back to your intention statement and list everything you currently have in that area for which you can be grateful.
Take action. You can’t think your way to better results. I don’t care how positive of a thinker you claim to be, how many affirmations you have created in your lifetime, or how many self-help books you have read. If you do not have a concrete plan of action to move toward your intention, you will never create the luck you want to see. So finish off your plan by doing something. Write down three actions you can take this week to move toward your goal.
Take out a piece of paper and write an intention at the top. Below that, add in what you are grateful for already, and then make a plan to do something in this area this week. If you really believe your intention will add value to your life, prove it to yourself through corresponding action. That’s when the luck really kicks in!
Go ahead and carry a lucky charm in your purse, but know that you can create your own luck this month.
April O’Leary is a Certified Life Coach, author and the Founder of the University of Moms. You can sign-up today for her free video e-course “Find Time for You and Be Happier Too” at UofMoms.com.