How to Attract Good Luck
When you look at people you admire for one reason or another, you might think that part of their success – be it their corner office, their new pilot, or their beautiful vintage furniture – comes down to insane luck.
And while certain things in their lives were certainly beyond their control, they themselves created some of that good fortune. Because, as Tina Seelig , an entrepreneurial professor at Stanford and author of 17 books, says in an interview with GQ , luck doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of hard work and introspection.
In fact, making a few changes to your life can actually make you more fortunate, Seelig says. Here’s what she offers.
A new definition of luck
According to Seelig, many of us think that luck is something completely beyond our control; just by chance. But she sees in this something different, more malleable.
“Fortune is what is beyond your control, what happens to you,” she says. “Randomness is what you have to do; I have to take a chance. It requires you to act in the moment … Luck is where you have even more free will. You make your own luck by identifying and developing opportunities in advance . ” (Underline it.)
By rethinking what you think of as “luck,” you can turn it in your favor.
Practice Appreciating, Taking Risks, and Implementing Crazy Ideas
Seelig says there are three important things people can practice that will lead to more “luck.”
First, show appreciation : “Most people don’t appreciate what other people do for them and take it for granted,” she says. If you are properly grateful, you will have more opportunities.
Second, take risks : you won’t get anywhere if you don’t try. Think about it: would you look at Serena Williams and say she got there by luck? Of course not. The first time picking up a tennis racket was risky, and it paid off a lot. You cannot be afraid to try new things . Seelig suggests, “Come up and say hello to someone you don’t know. Try a sport you haven’t tried before. Go where you haven’t gone before. Each of them opens doors to opportunities. “
Third, accept crazy ideas : you must be willing to experiment and try crazy or impossible things that come your way. Think of the rule of improvisation “Yes, and” or the Year of “Yes ” by Shonda Rhimes. Basically say yes! Accept what comes your way, instead of immediately thinking about all the reasons why you cannot or should not do something. Make the default you can.
Hard work matters, as does resilience
While a lot of it comes from working hard and acquiring the skills needed to make your dreams come true, the main ingredient in luck is resilience. Going back to Serena’s example, how many times have you tried something just to do a bad job first and then never try to do it again? (As a recovering perfectionist from high school, I often think about this.) “If you can learn from mistakes and failures, you will get ahead much faster,” Seelig says. You will be more fortunate.
In terms of your career, it also means being honest with yourself about what will work. Instead of repeating the platitude of “follow your passion,” think about where your passion, skill, and market meet. “This is where your sweet spot is,” she says.
Consider the consequences
Every action has consequences, no matter how insignificant they may seem at the moment.
This, of course, includes important things like your job and skills, but it also includes more mundane things like who you spend time with and where you live.
But if you’re just running through your life on autopilot, hanging out with the same people who don’t inspire you, in the same job where you don’t learn anything, and hope to be lucky someday, that won’t happen.
Instead, you should “build” your life to your liking. You have to think about the consequences of your lifestyle. Seelig says:
I think that so many people limit themselves, they create a box around them that is much smaller than it should be. Then you read stories about people who leave and live in interesting places, and you ask, “How did you do it?” and they say, “I just did it.”
So come on, do it. Good luck will come.
How To Be Lucky | GQ