How to Make Your Own Luck
Thursday, March 5th, 2009Do you believe in luck? Are you “unlucky”? Do you miss good opportunities?
Your response to this question may play a role in how “lucky” you are according to What It Takes To Survive from Newsweek. (HT: Get Rich Slowly)
Only 10% of Life is Chance
“Luck is not a magical ability or a gift from the gods,” Wiseman writes. “Instead, it is a state of mind—a way of thinking and behaving.” Above all, he insists that we have far more control over our lives—and our luck—than we realize. Going back to the Italian Renaissance philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, great thinkers and writers have argued that 50 percent or more of what happens in life is determined entirely by chance (or Fortuna, the Roman goddess of fortune). Wiseman says no way. He believes that only 10 percent of life is purely random. The remaining 90 percent is “actually defined by the way you think.” In other words, your attitude and behavior determine nine tenths of what happens in your life. Wiseman has concluded that there are four reasons why good things happen to certain people. [Emphasis mine.]
If only 10% of life is purely random, it removes a lot of excuses.
Sure we can’t change the family we were born into, but we can choose how to live with them. We can’t choose the boss we work under, but we can choose how we respond to them.
We didn’t choose to get into this economic mess, but we can choose how we will act in spite of it.
Characteristics of the “Lucky”
Prof. Wiseman says the four reasons good thing happen to certain people are:
- First, lucky people frequently happen upon chance opportunities.
- Second, lucky people listen to their hunches and make good decisions without really knowing why.
- Third, lucky people persevere in the face of failure and have an uncanny knack for making their wishes come true.
- Fourth, lucky people have a special ability to turn bad luck into good fortune.
One of the key factors detailed in the article is that survivors and “lucky” people tend to have a great awareness of what is happening around them.
I can attest to the truth of this statement. I found a $100 bill in the parking lot of a major theme park. Other people had obviously walked past it. However, I reached down and picked it up.
Was I “luckier” than these other people? Probably not, I just had my eyes open.
Making Your Own Luck
Based on Prof. Wiseman’s observations here are a few suggestions for making your own luck.
- Keep your eyes up and your ears open. Notice what is going on in the world around you. When you walk down the street do you notice differences in the buildings? Would you be likely to spot a friend on the street or would you walk past them?
Listen to what is being said around you. Ignore the gossip and useless banter of fools. Listen for ideas and opportunities. Listen to learn about new markets or ideas you may have previously missed. - Learn to make good decisions. Wisdom does not happen on accident. People are not born wise, they become wise.
Pick up a book or take a class that will help you to make wise decisions. (The Biblical book of Proverbs is full of wisdom.) Learning from your own mistakes and the mistakes of others plays a major part in wisdom. - Don’t let adversity or failure discourage you. Thomas Edison had 10,000 “failures” before he found the right filament to make the light bulb work.
- Look for opportunities instead of obstacles. If our responses determine 90% of what life is, we have greater control over our lives than we know.
In the words of Dirty Harry, “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”
The weather here in Northern California has been wet and overcast for the past few days. But this morning the sun is shining brightly, the hills are green with fresh growth, and the sky is a brilliant dark blue.

