LUCKY PEOPLE WIN: 

HOW TO BE LUCKY

By Anna M Erickson

I am compelled to write this article today because I need to get the word out: lucky people win. I am lucky, and you can be too. Being a lucky person has brought many wonderful things into my life, but recently I have been actively engaging in the practice of increasing my luck with the help of Dr. Richard Wiseman’s book The Luck Factor: The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind.

Let me break it down for you. 

Richard Wiseman was a famous magician, who became part of an elite circle of magicians in Paris. It is a sort of club, which one must be invited into and ultimately be the best of the best. 

One time, he was performing a magic trick with a $20 bill. He cuts it up, folds it, shakes it -- the whole shebang. However when he presented it back to the women whom it belonged to - totally pristine and unblemished - she was unphased and unsurprised as she pronounced “well, of course, I’m a lucky person.”

This moment prompted Wiseman to go back to school into a career as a psychologist to study this phenomenon: what makes someone lucky and others unlucky. And Wiseman’s book? It is the result of these studies. Here’s what he found:

First, we are not born “lucky” or “unlucky.” It is not an inherited trait. So no worries - you can be lucky too. In fact, you can control your luck, as the main difference between a “lucky” and “unlucky” person lies in each person's attitude and outlook. 

Dr. Richard Wiseman completed many studies with individuals who were constituted as “lucky people” and “unlucky people.” In one study Wiseman conducted, all of the subjects, some of which were “lucky” and others “unlucky,” were sent into a restaurant with a hidden $20 bill at the front and exit. Within the restaurant, they were also presented with the opportunity to talk to a fellow “customer” who was a successful businessman. Those who were lucky found the money and struck up a conversation with the man. Whereas those who were not left with no money and no conversation. 

At this point, you may be a little critical of this whole luck thing. Luck is often thrown around in ways like “she just got lucky” as it is some kind of lottery of luckiness and unluckiness. But it’s not, it takes conscious effort to increase one's luck factor and is not something that randomly falls from the ground. And why isn’t it just “being blessed”? Dr. Richard Wiseman describes blessing as is cosmic dust which land on individuals -- yes, you can increase your magnetism but still, its cosmic -- whereas luck is something you can consciously and scientifically cultivate.

Now, at this point, you may want to join in with those who are lucky. And here are a the ways you can do so using Dr. Richard Wiseman’s Four Principles of Luck:

Maximize Your Chances to Be Lucky

Maximizing your chances to be lucky is a practice everyone should engage in if they want to win regularly. You do this by entering the sweepstakes as often as you can and which will improve your odds of winning. 

From day to day, maximizing opportunities means talking to as many people as you can because you can never be sure when you will meet someone who can connect you with something else, someone else, an interesting thought, a wonderful idea, an inspiring thing, a career, etc. Being in and around different energies will increase your luck. Be sure to complete this practice as often as possible: you don’t win unless you enter. 

Listen to Your Instincts

Listen to your instincts that come in the form of lucky hunches. Everyone gets lucky hunches, but some tune in more than others. And the more you tune in, the better you become at realizing them when they are there. Everyone has had lucky hunches, but lucky people tend to rely on them more. 

In everyday life, your hunches might encourage you to try for a job position or strike up a conversation - engage with these hunches to increase your luck.

Expect to Be Lucky

Expecting to be lucky keeps you turned on. Meaning, it will keep you motivated to enter into lucky opportunities, the sweepstakes. If you're constantly telling yourself that you'll never win, why bother to enter?

In day to day life, this is all about mindset. Tell yourself you are a lucky person every day, and this will increase your luck. It is a practice that will project you forward in every part of your life. 

Look on the Bright Side

Looking on the bright side keeps you feeling lucky no matter what. You snoozed your alarm too many times this morning now you’re rushing? Well, at least you have something to rush to. 

In daily life, if you stop blaming all of the bad things that happen to you on luck, you're more likely to find ways to improve what you're doing. For example, maybe the reason why you haven't been winning recently isn't that you're unlucky, but that you haven't been entering enough to maximize opportunities.

Now, I hope this has been helpful, so that you too can increase your luck. Putting it into practice, especially within these past two weeks, has made me much luckier. I’ve been talking to as many people as I can - the guy serving me my coffee, the women printing papers next to me, the girls at the bake sale, the person I never talk to in class - all of which have been increasing my luck. Some are just fun conversions, and other conversations have sparked ideas, introduced me to future clients, or just put me on to some dope Instagrams to follow. All of these things are stimulating and feeding my mind. Along with this, through a conversion I learned of Columbia University's Vietnamese Association. I got the lucky hunch to apply as Marketing Director. I went in - expecting to be lucky - delivered my speech and got the position. All of this has been sponsored by my practice to be a lucky person. 

And as I’m writing this now, I just got back to my apartment after working on campus. On the way home, I had stopped at the grocery store so I could make dinner for myself (I’m so hungry). That's when I realized - I didn’t have my AirPods case. So, I dropped my groceries and ran back to the library, 6 blocks. I went upstairs, three flights, to go to the printers I had been using earlier and low and behold -- lucky for me -- my case. On my way back down, three flights again, I noticed a tray of free pasta and salad. Perfect - my dinner. I’m back home now, with groceries for tomorrow, and reflecting on today I realize these lucky moments aren't just moments but the lucky life I live. Thank you Dr. Richard Wiseman! 

And to the reader -- I hope you choose to live a lucky life too <3.