Monday Motivation

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Dalai Lama XIV

I have always considered myself to be lucky.  I didn't know why exactly until I read an article by Richard Wiseman (no pun intended). Richard is a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK.  His research has proven that luck is not about superstition but rather embracing the following four principle ways of thinking and acting:

• You expect to be lucky.  I have this expectation in my life whenever I introduce a new training service, put my name into a drawing or get lost while driving.  I expect a positive result. A clear example of this is when I am looking for a parking spot at a store.  I actually envision myself parking in the very front spots and 95% of the time this happens because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.

• Take advantage of chance opportunities.  By putting myself "out" there, I meet or run into fascinating people whether on airplanes or networking events.  Most of my dearest friends came as a result of my taking a chance and reaching out to introduce myself. You increase your chance opportunities by taking a different route to work at times and vacationing in different spots each year. Also be aware of when you are tense or anxious because these feelings close your perception of opportunity.  Relaxed and open thinking helps you find opportunities.

• Listen to your intuition.  Lucky people have a keen sense of when an opportunity is "ripe" for the taking.  They listen to their "inner" teacher and take action when a situation feels right.  They also build this intuitive muscle by learning to become better "inner" listeners through meditation or mindfulness training.

• Find the silver lining in misfortune. Being lucky doesn't mean that you do not experience hardship in life rather lucky people re-frame their hardship.  Richard Wiseman gives the example that Olympic bronze medal winners are happier than silver medal winners. Why?  Because silver medal winners focus on how they missed the gold and bronze medal winners focus on how close they came to not getting a medal at all.

Question for You:

Do you feel lucky and wonder why this is happening?  Or, do you often feel unlucky like you have a black cloud hanging over you?

Action for You:

Begin working these four principles into your life.  Start by visualizing your success with people and projects, relax and open yourself up to new opportunities by changing up your routine and reaching out, enroll in meditation classes or buy CDs that help you hear your inner voice more often and finally try re-framing your misfortunes into what might have happened.

Balthasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom