How to make your own luck and prosper

"Luck is where opportunity meets preparation" - Seneca

MY father had a great way to get me to do the gardening. He used to say, "Find a four-leaf clover, and all the luck will be yours."

It's a traditional superstition that a four-leaf clover brings good luck. According to Wikipedia, it is claimed that there are approximately 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every four-leaf clover. However, an actual survey of over 5 million clovers found the real frequency to be closer to 5,000 to 1.

So why do people put so much faith in luck? And what role does it play in being successful in a career and life?

It was famous film producer Samuel Goldwyn who said, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." Often actors, entrepreneurs and other people long to get that one "lucky break," forgetting perhaps the combination of luck and hard work that most success takes.

Some see luck as the key to success or as a reason for failure. Often, they ascribe it to their great efforts when they're successful, and to bad luck when it all goes pear-shaped.

A more balanced view is that good and bad luck will always play a part in our lives. But opportunities will more often come about to those who focus on the "hidden gold" contained within the circumstances.

The 10 per cent factor

A study by psychologist Richard Wiseman, cited in the book Success: The Psychology of Achievement, claimed that no more than 10 per cent of life is the result of pure chance. Rather, he says:

"Luck is a set of outcomes determined by what you give to life and how you respond to the opportunities that arise"

Researcher in this area, Carol Sansone, has pointed out that what appears to be luck is really "the result of perceptions, personality traits, choices, and actions." She also adds that, "all that is within your control."

People who enjoy "fortuitous encounters" because they are constantly making new acquaintances, can also lead to great things happening. Initiating conversations, she says, can expose you to fresh perspectives and new directions.

'Luck' as an attribute to cultivate

By focusing on habits that are more likely to bring luck into your career and life, you can improve the chances of new ideas and opportunities opening up for you. Here are four ways:

Nurture your network

Having a wide community of friends from all walks of life, cultures and ages will help you broaden your horizons. People with different backgrounds from you can open up a range of different perspectives, that can help you connect the dots, and provide further introductions.

Surrounding yourself with positive people will also provide a springboard to be motivated to reach your goals. Those who see possibilities rather then miseries, are more likely to help you see through the barriers that you perceive along the way. Having a mentor is a good way to achieve seeing these different perspectives.

Look around

See what is happening around you, and make sense of what you see. If the company you work for has lost its way, you will need to look around corners to see what is coming. Don't stay complacent hoping it will all go away. Many people who have lost their jobs through redundancy have claimed they "didn't see it coming" when the signs were clearly in front of them.

"Opportunity knocks often, but sometimes softly. While blindly pursuing our goals, we often miss unexpected and wonderful possibilities." - Stephen Shapiro

Have a 'growth mindset'

Dr. Carol Dweck and her colleagues became interested in students' attitudes about failure. They noticed that some students rebounded while other students seemed devastated by even the smallest setbacks.

After studying the behavior of thousands of children, Dr. Dweck coined the terms 'fixed mindset' and 'growth mindset' to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence.

When students believe they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore they put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement.

Think lucky - Be lucky - Create intentional acts

There's a lot of research that backs up the notion that our thoughts create our reality. Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.”

Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, wrote to his shareholders about the importance of a constant focus on 'day one.'

"I’ve been reminding people that it’s Day 1 for a couple of decades. I work in an Amazon building named Day 1, and when I moved buildings, I took the name with me. I spend time thinking about this topic."

“Day 2 is stasis. Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful decline. Followed by death. And that is why it is always Day 1.”

Kristina Karlsson (pictured below), is founder of the successful kikki.K stationery company. Thinking successfully, she says, has been a big part of the success of her business, and is a guiding principle for her life.

"It’s what gets me out of bed and excited to create, every single day. I’m living my dream," she said.

One of her products is a TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY pad with a list of the things you can tick off to have a satisfying and successful day - a lucky one, if you like.

How many of these have you ticked off today?

I was grateful today

I smiled today

I made someone smile today

I moved my body today

I was mindful today

I made time for me today

I complimented someone today

I met someone awesome today

I stayed hydrated today

I treated myself today

I got some good news today

I said the words 'I love you' today

I got offline today

I took a chance today

Now go forth, make your own luck, and prosper.