Luck, especially good luck, is something many people think others get. We see others with great situations and wish we had their luck. But not everyone feels that way. Some people think of luck as less random and more of something they can create – or at least tip the scales of chance in their favor. Making your luck is real – and there are some ways you can create more of it for yourself and your team. So how do you go about making your luck?

Keep Learning

Talk to someone who you might consider lucky and there is one thing you will universally notice – they are learners.  They know what they have done and experienced and can tell you what worked and what didn’t. The leader who has hired a great team isn’t lucky – they have learned how to seek out and identify people who are a good fit.  Through that conscious learning process, they improve their odds in finding great people. The same is true for anything you want to get luckier with – learning more about it is a great way to raise your odds.

Look for Opportunity

While it might look like luck to someone else, those same circumstances start with the awareness of an opportunity. If seeing the opportunity is the first thing that tips the luck scale in our favor, how do we do that?

1. Let your purpose be your guide. When you know where you are headed and why, rather than being solely dependent on a specific goal or target you may see things you might otherwise have noticed.
2. Be observant. Finding opportunities starts with noticing, paying attention, and seeing what is around you. You cannot get lucky if you aren’t on the lookout for luck.
3. Look for good. Things happen to you every day. While some immediately label them as good or bad, the “lucky” look for the positive and possibilities in every situation.
4. Peek through doors. Life is like a hallway with many doors. Behind some are opportunities.  If we keep walking, we won’t discover any. Making your luck requires we stop, and peek in more doors.  We don’t have to fling them open and immediately commit, but those who peek will find more opportunities.

Be Prepared

Have you ever looked back a life situation and, in hindsight, seen the opportunity that you missed?  Have you ever thought, “I’m not ready” or “The timing isn’t right” – even when you where pretty sure you were looking at an opportunity?  Abraham Lincoln famously said:

I will prepare and someday my chance will come.

The act of preparation is an act of hope and expectancy that good things will come.  When you continue to learn, observe, and prepare yourself, not only will you see more opportunities, but you will also be more adept and taking advantage of them and more confident in trying.

Be Proactive

It is one thing to notice and see an opportunity.  It is another to do something. Making your luck requires action.  You have to be willing to try – and know it won’t always work out.  Chances and tries are the stock in trade of the lucky.  The regrets of omission (“I should have tried that,”) prove that proactivity is needed.  You won’t get lucky every time, but waiting isn’t a very good strategy either. Even to win the lottery you must buy a ticket.

You can have more luck in your life, but it may require some new mindsets, the habit of being more aware, and the willingness to act.

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