Changing Your Luck

In this week's New Age Notebook, I am going to address a subject that often comes up in the chat rooms: LUCK. Why is it that some people seem to be born with horseshoes up the wazoo while others battle an endless string of disasters and setbacks?Is there such thing as being born under a lucky star? Is it karma or a curse? While some are eternal victims of Murphy's Law: "if something can go wrong, it will.", others seem to be able to get away with murder and suffer no consequences at all.

Luckily, I came across a very interesting article in the London Telegraph about this subject by Richard Wiseman, a researcher who has been studying extremely lucky and very unlucky people for the past ten years. His goal was to find out if it was possible for anybody to become "luckier."

Wiseman asked hundreds of people who felt they were either "very lucky" or "very unlucky" to fill out diaries and take part in questionnaires. I. Q. tests and experiments. The findings have revealed that although unlucky people have almost no insight into the causes of their good and bad luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their malfortune.

First he refers to what is called the "chance opportunity" or "lucky break." We all know that lucky people consistently encounter them, while unlucky people do not. Wiseman performed a test in which he asked both fortunate and unfortunate people to search through a newspaper and find out how many photographs were inside.

On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? Because the second page of the newspaper contained the message: "Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper!" This message took up half the page and was written in type that was more than five centimetres high. It was staring everyone in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky tended to spot it. For fun, Wiseman apparently placed a second large message halfway through the newspaper: "Stop counting. Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $700?." Again, the unlucky people missed the opportunity because they were still stuck in the past -- too busy looking for the original 43 photographs.

So it seems that being too obsessed or attached to pursuing one goal, tends to make you somehow blind to opportunity and somehow unlucky. Personality tests also revealed that unlucky people are generally much more tense than lucky people, and research has shown that anxiety disrupts people's ability to notice the unexpected. The harder they looked, the less they saw. Unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else.

Wiseman opened a "luck school, conducted all kinds of experiments and in the end concluded that lucky people generate good fortune by using the following three techniques:

? USE YOUR INTUITION! Unlucky people often fail to follow their intuition when making a choice, whereas lucky people tend to respect hunches. Lucky people are interested in how they both think and feel about the various options, rather than simply looking at the rational side of the situation. Gut feelings act as an alarm bell - to consider a decision carefully.

? VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE! Unlucky people tend to be creatures of routine. By contrast, lucky people try to introduce variety into their lives. Doing the same thing every day, or thinking about the same thing every day creates a rut that prevents you from encountering opportunity.

? ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE! Lucky people tend to see the positive side of ill fortune. If they get a bad break, they cheer themselves up by saying "it could have been worse." When one of Wiseman's extremely lucky subjects broke his leg, he cheerfully explained that it could have been worse - he could have broken his neck.

So, in a nutshell, how do you change your luck? Think outside the box, think positive, don't dwell on the past and if you fall off your horse, get right back on it. According to Wiseman, good or ill fortune is not karma, its not a curse and its definitely not magic. It is self-created.

Samantha Steven's articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. If you wish to buy Samantha's books about metaphysics click here http://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=110 You can meet Samantha Stevens at http://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=110 where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=110

efficient cleaning crew Northbrook ..
In The News:

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.
Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.
Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.
New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.
FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.
New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.
OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.
Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.
New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.
DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.
Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.
Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.
Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.
A new phishing scam targets family photos with fake "Cloud Storage Full" alerts. Criminals steal credit card information through fake sites. Learn protection tips.
South Korean scientists create ultra-thin fabric muscles that turn clothes into robotic assistants, lifting 33 pounds while weighing under half an ounce.
Archer Aviation has acquired Hawthorne Airport for $126M to launch an LA air taxi network ahead of the 2028 Olympics, featuring AI-powered eVTOL operations and next-gen aviation tech.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Fake AI apps disguised as "ChatGPT" and "DALLĀ·E" are flooding app stores with dangerous malware that steals data and monitors users without detection.
Fake buyers demand specific vehicle reports from unknown sites to steal credit card information from car sellers, but warning signs can help identify these scams before paying.
Android users can now manage apps across multiple devices more easily with Google Play Store's updated remote uninstall button in the latest update.
NASA's Perseverance rover discovers shiny metallic rock on Mars that could be a meteorite from an ancient asteroid, containing high levels of iron and nickel.
Holiday scams spike during Black Friday and Cyber Monday as criminals exploit your leaked personal data. Learn how to protect yourself from fake stores and phishing.
Commerce Department proposes TP-Link router ban over Chinese security risks. Learn how this potential prohibition could affect your home network and devices.

Belief Helps You Succeed But Can It Win A Boat Race?

On March 27th 2005, Oxford won the annual boat race... Read More

What Do You Need To Do To Be Successful?

What do you need to do to be successful? If... Read More

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind

"The reason man may become the master of his own... Read More

Hidden Gems in a Quote: From Henry David Thoreau I have learned, that if one advances...

"I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the... Read More

5 Ways To SuperSize Your Life

McDonald's does it, why shouldn't you? Life is filled with... Read More

The Role of Failure in Success

Does the thought of failure send a cold shiver down... Read More

What is Success Really?

Every single one of us is trying to reach success.... Read More

Success and Failure: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Failure is GreatYou are probably asking yourself what could be... Read More

Three Gratifying Ways To Add Abundance To Your Life

Abundance is intangible, spiritual and attracts energy. To attract this... Read More

Success; So Close, Yet So Far Away!

Have you ever had this feeling? You're standing in front... Read More

Balance: Flow and Faith

In so many areas of life we must always be... Read More

The Dynamics of Competitive Mentality

Life is not a competition.Not at all. Life itself is... Read More

7 Essential Body Language Tips

The secrets of our body language have been around forever... Read More

Six Steps to Personal Success

Trying to keep up with the Jones only drags good,... Read More

10 Tips on How to Get the Best from Changing Situations

It can be great to do something new 'for a... Read More

Introducing 4 Indispensable Strategies For Success

I would like to use this medium to introduce my... Read More

Grow Rich With Your Thought

Our brain is a marvelous creation. It receive and transmit... Read More

How to Make Your Wildest Dreams a Reality

According to Bill Gates there are 3 keys to success... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Step Into Your Own Truth

Create a truth and step into it There is a... Read More

Gracefully Accepting Feedback a Key Employment Skill

With the long-term trend of protecting employees' individual self esteem... Read More

The Best Test

I spoke to a group of salespeople in Kansas City... Read More

How To Prepare Yourself Mentally For Success

Okay, so you've finally made that big decision to start... Read More

Ten, Humourous, Power Attitudes

The ability to achieve our enormous untapped potential is directly... Read More

Daily Action Spells Success - What Have You Done Today To Make Yourself Feel Proud?

Since December 1st 2004, I have written one article or... Read More

Run Towards Fear: A Prescription For Success

Fear, or negative anxiety, is the modern day bubonic plague,... Read More

cleaning lady near Wilmette ..