Fortune is a capricious lady. Some people are always in her good fortune, while others are content to just watch others’ luck. Why is there a world of good luck and bad luck? This is what this article is about.
Most people attribute their success to qualities of personality such as determination and perseverance. However, it is not that simple. Our planet is full of hardworking people, but not all of them are successful and happy. This is probably because determination and diligence are only a part of success. There is also luck, which may not be enough for everybody.
Luck often helps one to reach unprecedented heights in one’s career and take one’s life to the next level. Does it mean that chances of success are subordinate to the theory of probability and not much depends on you and me? Scientists say that you shouldn’t blame only the twists and turns of fate. After all, luck is largely determined by personal qualities and beliefs. People who are lucky have a special way of thinking, which helps them to achieve extraordinary success. About these qualities – and we will talk.
Belief in yourself – an important component of success
Optimism, a positive attitude and faith in their luck helps people quickly and easily achieve their goals. Scientists believe that personal self-efficacy, which is based on faith in their success, helps people fight for their dreams to the very end. This theory is supported by the results of numerous experiments. Thus, one of the classics of psychology – Albert Bandura, conducted an interesting study. Its participants were schoolchildren. The scientist divided them into 2 groups and set both groups a problem that had no solution. Pupils in one of the groups were convinced that they would be able to solve the difficult task. As a result, this group made more effort to solve the problem before admitting defeat.
In 2010, a fascinating article about the influence of talismans was published by the University of Cologne. Researchers decided to test the effect of talismans on a person’s level of luck. The study involved an experiment in which university students were asked to play mini-golf. Two groups of volunteers took part in the game. One group was given a “lucky” golf ball, which was supposedly used to score many successful goals. The second group of students was given an ordinary ball. The students with the lucky tee were 36 per cent better off.
The researchers believe that it is possible to improve one’s luck without a mascot. Just knowing that you are a lucky person is enough. People who believe in their star are more persistent in achieving their goals. They show planning abilities, good organizational skills and develop alternative strategies.
The secret of luck
Richard Wiseman, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire, reveals the key secret of luck. According to the researcher, there is no mysticism in luck. Luck is a particular way of thinking, and people who adopt certain patterns of behaviour in their lives.
Wiseman ran an experiment involving 400 people for 10 long years before writing his book. Among them were those who consider themselves lucky in life, as well as people who classify themselves as chronic losers. As a result of years of research, Wiseman is of the opinion that good luck goes with those who can manage their thoughts and look for alternative ways to solve problems.
Luck smiles on the observant
Another secret to good fortune lies in observation. Lucky people never dwell on a problem, so they always notice random opportunities. Proof of this is an interesting experiment conducted by Professor Richard Wiseman. He gave a newspaper with pictures to 2 groups of volunteers. As you understand, one of the groups consisted exclusively of lucky people, and the other group consisted of losers. The professor asked the volunteers to count the number of pictures. The lucky people completed the task in a few seconds, while the losers spent as much as 2 minutes on it. What is the secret? – you ask. It’s simple. On the back of the newspaper half a page was printed: “Stop counting – the number contains 43 pictures. The lucky ones discovered it at once, while the “unlucky group” refused to see the clue.
Negative experiences help the lucky ones grow
Richard Wiseman noted that lucky people are always trying to diversify their lives, using various strategies to do so. For example, one person would only socialize with a certain type of people at social events. In order to bring some variety into his life, he developed a new scheme for himself – to choose for conversation people who are dressed in a certain colour. He determined the colour in advance of the event. Such an approach allowed a person to have a new experience, to broaden the spectrum of his own possibilities.
Richard Wiseman also found out that lucky people retain the ability to think positively even in unpleasant situations. They immediately think that a negative situation could have been much worse and therefore retain opportunities to make positive self-justifying prophecies. In other words, luck is inherently a skill that anyone can learn.
