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
Batchtown Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareHow many times have people asked you what you really... Read More
In the book, The SHOCKwealth System?, it is discussed that... Read More
"Enthusiasm is worth any pot of cream ever offered."Can you... Read More
One of the common elements you see in almost all... Read More
There is a saying that goes something like this: Getting... Read More
When most of us are asked the most important possession... Read More
Ok, let me tell you what I mean.As some of... Read More
Many years ago, forty to be exact, I started my... Read More
An odd but frequent barrier to prosperity is the belief... Read More
The HungryIn May of 2005 there were over 2 million... Read More
FOCUSAs you're building your business, you can choose to win... Read More
The recent mission of the space shuttle Discovery is NASA's... Read More
It is often said that the only things in life... Read More
There are two things that will determine your success or... Read More
Fear, or negative anxiety, is the modern day bubonic plague,... Read More
There are certain laws that when obeyed will bring great... Read More
Q: Are you a success?A: Its all in how you... Read More
Want more success in your business or professional life? Here's... Read More
With topics in personal development ranging from goal setting to... Read More
How does an online marketer define success ? There are... Read More
Have you ever felt as if you are beating your... Read More
Lets face it, no one enjoys rejection. But the reality... Read More
Many different daily tasks require a strategic process to be... Read More
No one becomes successful by accident. Success requires making a... Read More
Here are a few suggestions that I try to put... Read More
shuttle from Midway Munster are ..Understand and apply this one secret to your own life,... Read More
Being organised is a major step to success and the... Read More
1. Differentiate yourself using a Personal Value Proposition. A PVP... Read More
Why everything has to be so hard? What have I... Read More
Do you think you have an "average" or perhaps an... Read More
The Outlaw Josey Wales is an interesting Western that I... Read More
Many people, it seems, have a fear of money. Does... Read More
"Never, never, never give up; never give up, never!." -... Read More
Have you ever heard this? "It isn't whether you win... Read More
Are you ready to finally realize your dream? I'm talking... Read More
Today I was glad that I had bothered to read... Read More
Whenever I'm feeling stuck in a rut, I go out... Read More
"When you talk to yourself, you listen. No matter what... Read More
Formula For SuccessThe winners in this life know the rules... Read More
As a child you probably learned failing is bad...Failing meant... Read More
According to Bill Gates there are 3 keys to success... Read More
The 90/10 secret is incredible! Very few know and apply... Read More
Hello,You are reading this article because you are one of... Read More
What do you need to have for a successful business?... Read More
What is Optimum Performance? This question raises different responses from... Read More
By popular request, I thought I would put together this... Read More
Unexpected life changes. Anticipated transitions. Long, sleepless nights. What do... Read More
All of us could work on our skills in influencing... Read More
Remove these words from your vocabulary!The words "If only ?"... Read More
Life is not a competition.Not at all. Life itself is... Read More
Success |