Getting Lucky - A Strategy

Getting lucky requires a certain frame of mind. This is the good-luck-generating attitude expressed in the following quote:

"If you view all the things that happen to you, both good and bad, as opportunities, then you operate out of a higher level of consciousness." - Les Brown

The Science Of Getting Lucky

During his ten-year study of luck, professor Richard Wiseman found that lucky people use many psychological strategies to turn bad luck into good luck. They might automatically imagine how things could have been worse. This is to eliminate any paralyzing sense of hopelessness in the current bad situation.

They also look at what can be done, and concentrate on that. Obviously this could be far more productive than the alternative. Have you ever seen someone getting lucky by focusing on the negative?

You may have you heard the saying, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." That is exactly the frame of mind of a lucky person. In their minds, there are always motivating questions, like, "What can I do with this situation? Could this be lucky in some way? How can I make lemonade from these lemons?"

"The way we see the problem is the problem." - Stephen Covey

Getting Lucky Means Seeing Problems As Opportunities

In his book, "Screw It, Let's Do It," Richard Branson has a great story about turning a problem into an opportunity. He and his wife were in the Virgin Islands, and the flight to Puerto Rico had been canceled. There were a lot of disappointed people, and they were all sitting around doing nothing. What could they do, after all, but wait until there was another flight?

Branson doesn't think that way, however. He found a plane, and asked how much it would be to charter it one way to Puerto Rico. He was told $2,000. Looking around at the number of people waiting, he did some quick math. Then he took a small chalkboard and wrote on it, "Virgin Airways." Below that he wrote "One way flight to Puerto Rico, $39."

After the 52nd person signed up, he was making a profit. Although he didn't actually start his famous airline until later, this was the inspiration. A problem is sometimes an opportunity - but only if you approach it that way. This one lead to the creation of a major airline.

Albert Einstein once said, "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity." Getting lucky becomes easier when you think like that. Why not start today?