Smart Success
5 Secrets to Creating Better “Luck”

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Seneca

Richard Wiseman, psychologist and author of The Luck Factor, has spent years studying serendipity–also known as luck.

In one experiment, Dr. Wiseman asked subjects, “Are you a lucky person?” Yes or no.

Later on, he had each subject leaf through a newspaper to count the total number of photos inside and report their answer. Unbeknownst to the subjects, however, on the second page was a notice saying: “Stop counting–there are 43 photos in this newspaper.”

The result? Subjects who had answered “yes” to the luck question tended to see the notice, stop counting, and report the correct answer. Those who answered “no” tended to either miss the clue completely or dismiss it as a trick, continuing to count.

Here is where Wiseman discovered a key principle of success: People who consider themselves lucky are simply more open to already existing opportunity.

Here are five more success principles for creating luck in your life:

Opportunity is where you look. Seeing opportunity is less about “right place, right time” than it is about keeping your eyes open. If you don’t expect opportunity everywhere, you don’t look for it, and never see it coming–or going.

Try hard…but not too hard. While we all tend to associate unflinching determination with high-achievers, staying loose–even straying off course occasionally–attunes you to see more opportunities than does rigid focus.

Set the goals, not the road. Opportunity favors a relaxed approach. Once you’ve clarified the outcome you want, be open to the countless paths to its achievement.

What failure? Fear of making a mistake is a crippling habit. Flip your fear, and learn to see failure as a process of arrival–a learning opportunity in and of itself.

Try something new much more often. Playing it safe all the time is a recipe for regrets. The serendipitous tend to be fearless about discovery–even if it’s not the outcome they want to hear. So, instead of wondering what could have been, go and find out!

Let your luck rub off on somebody! Feel free to pass these tips along to your team, clients, and colleagues.

Economic Calendar for the Week of October 28 – November 01

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