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Are some people luckier than others?
There seems to be no rhyme or reason to luck. Some people just have it, while others don’t.
I have a friend that always seems to be lucky. Maybe the stars just always align perfectly for her, but it seems uncanny that someone can be so lucky all the time.
For example, when I applied to my master’s program, I spent months preparing my application and getting everything ready. Months later, I finally found out that I had been accepted.
When my friend went for her master’s, she spent only a couple of days getting her application ready, applied, and got accepted mere days later.
When my friend decided she wanted to try online dating, the first guy she met in person turned out to be her soul mate, and they were married 6 months later.
When we started our job hunt post undergrad, the first job she applied for resulted in a job offer just three days later.
My friend’s life has been a continuous stream of seemingly “lucky” incidents that, frankly, a lot of us never seem to experience.
However, what a lot of us don’t realize (myself included) is that these “lucky” people have, in many ways, created their own luck. It may be in how they choose to work hard every single day, or the choices they’ve made throughout their life, or by just being a good person.
Comparing ourselves to others comes naturally, and almost too easily. Maybe you have a friend too that always seems to get lucky, or maybe you firmly believe that you’re a permanently unlucky person. You may find yourself often wondering, “How do I become a lucky person, too?”
Unfortunately, no one is just born a lucky person. Fortunately though, you can actually improve your luck in life, and even attract good luck with a few simple methods.
How to become a luckier person
1. Choose positive over negative thinking. When you choose to think positive thoughts, you instantly open the door for more opportunities and solutions. Negative thoughts, conversely, restrain our creative problem solving skills and turn potential opportunities into problems. Tweak your negative thoughts to positive, and you’ll immediately increase your chances for luck.
2. Create your own luck through hard work. The luckiest people out there are the ones that don’t waste a moment of their time. They work hard and hone their craft every day. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
3. Believe in karma. When our kindness gets taken advantage of, or our good deeds go unappreciated, it’s easy to believe that kindness does little to further your lot in life. As a firm believer in karma though, I truly believe that when you put your good vibes out there, whether in the form of kindness, respect, appreciation, etc., that karma will come back to reward you in some way some day. Karma is one of the principle beliefs of Hindu philosophy, and can be described as, “What goes around, comes around.” Simply put, the more good you do for others, the more good things (and luck) you’ll have bestowed upon you.
4. Choose your company wisely. Ever heard the saying, “You are who your friends are?” We tend to be most like the people we surround ourselves with, so choose your friends wisely. Humans have the ability to reflect the emotions and feelings of others (including positivity), so surround yourself with positive, hardworking people.
5. Embrace your purpose. What are you working towards every day? Are you trying to provide for your family and send your kids to college? Are you working towards a promotion? A career change? Declutter your mind and focus on your utmost priorities. Everyone, including you, has a purpose. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Luck is just another word for tenacity of purpose.”
6. Don’t compare yourself to others and their successes. Comparing ourselves to others is a deadly trap to fall into. When we feel insecure and compare ourselves to others, we turn everyone into a potential adversary and the world becomes even more unnecessarily competitive. Lucky people confront their insecurities, and thus weaken the urge to compare themselves to others.
7. Practice gratitude. We always wish we could have more than we already do, and because we live in a highly materialistic society, this lust for more is exacerbated. But what if you could be happy right now with what you already have? Happier people are, by default, luckier people. Choose instead to be grateful for what you already have, and luck will find you faster.
