How to Make Your Own Luck

The entire field of business and government has been studied and analyzed to the point that they look like rational enterprises. In reality, if you ask CEOs and other leaders in both fields how they got where they are, the most common answer is "luck."  Looking back on their careers, they see — and often marvel — that they were at the right place at the right time. Luck implies randomness, if you are being mathematical, which means that success could just be random, too. 

But looking at success from the viewpoint of consciousness, there's an alternative to luck: synchronicity.  The standard definition of synchronicity is "meaningful coincidence" — for example, you think of an old friend you haven't seen in years, and the next minute that friend calls you on the phone.  We've all experienced such moments, but they rarely change our lives or how we think of the world.  Yet if you take the consciousness seriously, there are attributes of success in every field that can be explained no other way. When famous success stories are recounted, you hear the same sentiments repeated over and over. 

He (or she) made his own luck.

The waters opened before him.

Nothing could stop him.

He knew he would get to the top his first day on the job. 

He led a charmed life.

A kind of exceptionalism is being admired — and envied — that everyone would like to share in.  Although synchronicity isn't taught in academic programs. Synchronicity isn't irrational or accidental.  It involves making an intention turn into a result.  Let's say that you are working with a team on the solution to a problem. Your intention is to solve it.  The result you want is an answer. How do you get there? The usual method is focused concentration, late hours, and sweat. But there are times when this approach won't get you where you want to go.

What is Synchroncity? Ask Deepak Chopra!

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The real key is creativity, and creativity — which comes out of the blue and often strikes at just the right moment — is synchronous.  It delivers answers without the linkage of cause and effect.  Synchronicity operates at a deeper level of consciousness than reason.  It isn't accidental, any more than a great painting is accidental. Relying on the potential for creative solutions is the first and strongest way to "make your own luck." 

Creativity has become such a clichéd term that it means almost nothing anymore. In this case, however, it means that every question is organized in consciousness to have an answer.  Being confident of this hidden fact is a strong attribute of leadership and great levels of success. 

The Secret of Creativity | The Rabbit Hole

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When teaching executives about synchronicity, I know some will be startled and skeptical, until they compare notes and find out how important it has been in their own careers. Synchronicity, by matching means and ends without struggle, is a mysterious ingredient from the unconscious. It creates the appearance of good luck by carrying you beyond predicted outcomes. In spiritual terms, synchronicity is a soul connection, but there's no need to get hung up on terminology.

I am not decrying rational solutions. But at a deeper level, the answers that change people's lives - and sometimes the course of history - depend on another process: You detach from the level of the problem in order to find the level of the solution. This factor exists in synchronicity, but also in creativity.  A simple example would be a mother confronting a whining, demanding two-year-old. At the level of the problem, she would coax or scold the child, try to reason with it, say that he has to do what Mommy says, and so on.  All of these tactics stay at the level of the problem. If she goes to the level of the solution, however, the mother realizes that her two-year-old is tired and needs a nap. The nap solves all the other behaviors because it goes directly to the heart of the solution.

To activate synchronicity, the following practical steps are helpful.

1. Believe in the phenomenon. Set skepticism aside.
2. In a calm, centered moment, ask inside for a solution.
3. Have a clear intention. State what you want without conflict, confusion, or doubt.
4. Await a response—it may be the total solution or it could be only a part of it, a clue you can follow to the next needed piece of the puzzle.
5. Be alert—your consciousness always responds, but it may happen unexpectedly.
6. Be open-minded. Synchronicity can use any channel, including strangers, overheard conversations, and advice from someone you tend to ignore.
7. Keep repeating the above steps. 

Since all of these steps involve mental clarity, taking up regular meditation is one of the strongest ways to clear the mind and open pathways to deeper levels of awareness. Some people are able to follow this approach without mapping it out consciously; they were born to make their own luck. But the rest of us can learn how to, because activating synchronicity is a skill that becomes easier the more you practice. Everyone has a level of the mind where solutions naturally arise. All you need to do is contact it and make it your ally.

Deepak Chopra, MD is the author of more than 80 books with twenty-two New York Times bestsellers. He serves as the founder of The Chopra Foundation and co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing. His latest book is The 13th Disciple: A Spiritual Adventure.