All the Ways of Winning

People across the globe all have different ways to win, to increase the chances of success or to be more likely to come out on top. Think for a moment about the different sayings, phrases or concepts applied to luck.

If you want to win big, you may just have to be willing to risk big. In some cases, you may have to be patient. Then there are other times when the tides of luck are simply on your side. Of course, if you attract luck, you an just as quickly lose it. Afterall, as they say, Lady Luck is fickle. This is why you need to make your own luck. Right?

Well, kinda...

Do We Make Our Own Luck?

Some would say yes, others no. I would say that until there is some sort of empirical evidence behind your statement... you probably should just keep your mouth shut. The fact is, you don't know. You can speculate.... but you don't know what will work for another because you aren't them. As a lucky person or at least a person that considers themselves somewhat lucky, I have always felt for luck. I knew when odds would be in my favor and then would trust that and place a bet. I felt that the colors or a name on a horse were right and I went with the bet. Repeatedly, I have won.

I won't lie. While I believe in supernatural powers, even religious and spiritual views... heck, even witchcraft... I never got the feeling that my luck was anything to do with that. It wasn't something I manifested, it was something I knew.

I like to think of it in a similar way to any other strength that a person may have. For example, a person may be blessed with athleticism, where they are just a natural at certain sports. They have the ability to run faster or maybe they have increased coordination when compared to other people about their age. Let's take Lance Armstrong, for example... minus the doping... he is known to have an enlarged heart. Back in the mid-2000's, when he was still popular in spite of his one testicle and dating single toilet paper advocate Sheryl Crowe, Lance Armstrong was also known for being sporty Spice of the cycling world. Turns out his enlarged heart gives him a certain advantage at sports, making him more apt to be successful as an athlete.

Of course, it is hypothesized that his heart is simply larger because of his intense workout regime and the rigorous training that he puts his body through. Did you know that his heart isn't that abnormal when you compare it to other athletes? Large heart size is actually the norm for many cyclists in the Tour De France. Rather, one could argue that it is their desire to win, to participate and the activity itself that drives them to pursue the sport. When you think about it, it isn't simply that they are better athletes, not naturally. They have trained specifically to be this kind of athlete.

Now, of course, there are some factors that probably played a beneficial role in Lance Armstrong winning 6 plus Tour De Frances, again, aside from drugs. For example, how was he raised, what was his focus, where were his priorities or what his genetics were would all be helpful to know. They likely play a part in his success. These would be definite advantages, ones that can usually come down to money... as in the having of money.

Now, let's apply this all to luck. Imagine that luck is not cycling, but rather it is the act of winning. Winning in society, getting things, things going their way and this kind of thing are all classifications of luck based "skills". Children can be born into families that seem lucky, but behind their advantages, you won't find luck. Instead you'll find a certain set of traits that people who are lucky labeled commonly possess.

Lucky Traits

What you may call luck, I would challenge you to consider that instead, they are actually one of the following:

• People skills: The ability to talk to others. This could also be called charisma.
• A Quick Detail-Oriented Mind: The ability to notice trends in patterns or noticing subtle differences in their environment.
• Control of Their Emotions: They may not be emotionless, but they are aware of their emotions and know how to manipulate them.
• Remarkable Recall: The ability to retain information that they learn and use it in the future.
• Responsive: In both a mental and sometimes physical sense, reacting to one's environment provides an advantage.
• Intuitive and/or Spiritually Aware: They follow their gut instincts.

Principals of Luck

Since I have been kind of "lucky" for my whole life, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the topic. My own dialogue to explain the process was hindered by this perspective. I had to find a language that others could understand so that I could explain to them that I didn't just fall upon positive happenstance. In fact, I think that part of it was that I was lucky in certain areas and then others... not so much. I found that I almost had to quantify this because people assumed my life was easy because I was lucky and that was so not true. Eventually, I stumbled upon the 4 Principles of Luck by Richard Wiseman... literally, I StumbledUpon. Check it out if you haven't...

Back to this Luck Thing...

Ahh yes... there we are

When I was looking up better reasons for my luck state, I eventually found the research and a few books. Out of all of it, Richard Wiseman, an author and professor, seemed to have the clearest answer and repeatable tips for luck. His stance is much like my own. Mainly, he presents the argument that luck doesn't just happen... it is made.

First Principle

If a person is aware that they need to seek out opportunities and they actively do so, then they are more likely to look. As they learn to look at the world around them, then they tend to get better at looking. This means that they will increase their chances through a variety of means. While it may appear that they are in the right place at the right time, a lot of the time their choices landed them where they were. In this case, it may be easier to see the correlation. But let's say that they were there completely by chance, say their grandmother asked them to run to the store for them and while they were there they found 50.00 lying in the aisle.

Is this luck?

I would argue no. Rather, they were seeking opportunity. They happened to be looking at the ground or where it was. They actually saw the money and they picked it up.

I remember when I was about 8, my mother sent me into the store and asked me to buy a few things. I had never actually gone into a store with money in my hand and on my own. Not surprisingly, I lost the money she gave me. I dropped it on the floor by the register as I was about to check out. I walked back around the store, growing more frantic over time that my mom would be mad at me for losing the money and I looked. I looked hard. Luckily, I found it. No, correction: A lady saw me frantic, offered to help me and then she found it and gave it to me. So much came into play as that being luck it seems, but did it really?

I can see from many angles how it is more circumstance and my actions that allowed the outcome. I noticed the money lost and I proceeded to react. I looked, I accepted help from someone that appeared to be trusting, I was able to keep calm and explain my problem and exactly how they could help, I listened to my gut during the process and I reacted quickly when I realized the money was lost. None of these things were luck... if anything they were capitalizing.

Second Principle

Hunches happen and over time we can develop a voice for them that is meek or loud. This is dependent on practice and faith. You either have it or you don't, that's a fallacy. Faith or the belief in that inner voice is required, but not just a whim or something that only some people feel. Those that can follow their gut have developed the coping skill to listen to this inner voice, rather than squashing it.

Third Principle

The Little Engine that Could, didn't that story mean anything to you? That, "I think I can" attitude is far easier to turn into the past tense, "I knew I could" if you have the right mindset at first. Of course, this isn't easy and it isn't one of those things that will just happen. Nor is it a mindset that you are born with. Rather, it is a cultivated mentality that can be fostered. You do have to actively participate in and can bring about in your own life.

Of course, if you have experienced misfortune, then this mindset can be a difficult one to ascertain and getting the hang of it at first can be complicated. If you have experienced misfortune time and time again, you may already be shaking your head. It will be difficult for you to change your mind and say, "Yes, this is possible!" However, learning to do this, which really amonts to starting to force your thinking in a certain direction, will allow you a better chance to have improved outcomes in the long run.

Fourth Principle

Just because you change your mindset and think that you will be lucky every time, doesn't mean you will. There are many variables in play and sometimes things won't always worked out as planned. The principles are established tips based on reasearch and evidence, but the world, the universe, other people, they all have a way of cockblocking the future. I have found that in my own lifetime that often when this happens, it is because something down the line is int he works. It is sort of like the thought that all things happen for a reason. Rather than a calculated reason, I like to think that there is only so much that coincidence and chance can do, just as there is only so much you can do on your own. You can't see all the way down the pipeline and sometimes when things don't work out it is because it would block something etter down the line. Also, I like to think that ther are lessons littered through. Sometimes things just aren't meant to be. Whatever the reason, someties things just don't do what you want the to do. In times like these, the ability to look at the situation and turn the beat around, so to speak, is an important skill. This is wat allows you to remain positive, rather than getting sucked into a shitty mood and turning your mind sour. This is, in turn, how you can keep the good vibes flowing, stay in the right mindset to be able to be successful and catch future opportunities as they present themselves.

Luck be a Lady

Gender stereotypes are all the rage. Why wouldn't you want luck to be a lady? If you think of "her" like this, and treat the concept of luck as a lady should be treated, then you should do just fine. If you aren't sure how to treat a lady, well that is a whole different article!

Smart Opinions Are Good - Facts are BETTER!

With that in mind, here is some further reading that you can do on the subject if you are curious about luck, circumstance and ow to become a boss in your own life.

References:

1. Study about Tour De France cyclists with enlarged hearts
2. Scholarly statistics on luck
3. The Luck Factor a PDF by Richard Wiseman