How to Get Lucky and Stay Lucky

Here are 13 ways to take advantage of life's lucky breaks and succeed.

By Lolly Daskal
President and CEO, Lead From Within

Most people will tell you luck is about being at the right place with the right people at the right time--but there's a lot more than that to luck.
The dictionary describes luck as events that influence your life but are not of your making.
If we believe we are in perfect control our lives, we are kidding ourselves. Even the most careful planning runs into the unexpected. That's inevitable.
How we allow that unplanned change to play out is a huge component in how lucky we are.
Follow these 13 principles and see how your luck changes.
1. Position yourself. The first step toward improving your luck is to acknowledge that luck exists. Lucky people position themselves for luck by organizing their lives and work so they can embrace opportunities and weather storms.
2. Plan, but be ready to bail. Lucky people know their plans may not always work out, and they're careful not to let themselves to grow too confident or relaxed. They anticipate rapid change and they don't bet on everything they have on large irrevocable commitments. They're ready to bail if they have to; they know luck has a way of evaporating when you lean on it.
3. Remember, luck comes and goes. It's not that lucky people feel unassailably secure--more that they refuse to relax. They keep their options open and explore new possibilities.
4. Don't take the blame. Lucky people don't feel responsible for their luck--when they have a streak of bad luck they don't blame themselves. Instead, they look for ways to turn it around.
5. Go where luck resides. Lucky people surround themselves with people who have things happening for them. Cultivate the kind of personality that gets you noticed, and then make contacts and get involved.
6. Stick your neck out. The lucky ones know that you have to invite luck to happen--in other words, stick your neck out. Take some risks and be willing to accept what may come--good or bad--and deal with both as it unfolds.
7. Never say anything's 100 percent sure. Lucky people know that some of their decisions will be wrong, so even though they take risks they don't set themselves up to fail by expecting success to hit every time.
8. Don't push it. People who are lucky always assume that their luck will run out. They sell short and don't ride the peak, because they know not to push their luck. It's not about being a pessimist but a realist, with a rational approach to a world that is uncontrollable and unpredictable.
9. Don't look for a straight path. Lucky people not only permit themselves to be distracted, they invite distractions. Their path is never a straight line. You never know where life will take you, and lucky breaks may come from something that you could not have imagined.
10. Lose with optimism. Lucky people are agile and flexible and ready to take detours when they need to. They expect the best but know how to handle the worst.
11. Listen up. Lucky people know that you learn more by listening than by speaking. When you listen you can observe more, see more, and know more. They also know it's a lot harder to get yourself in trouble when you keep your mouth shut.
12. Partner up. Lucky people tend to have great partners. Of course, plenty of people do well on their own, but a solid partnership lets you build on two sets of strengths and gives you a sounding board for new ideas.
13. Stay busy. Lucky people always seem to have more than one venture going on at the same time, so if one thing doesn't work out there are plenty of other options.
A consistently lucky person is someone who sees life for what it is--and what it is not--and does all they can to be flexible, agile, observant, optimistic, and understanding.
They know that sometimes not getting what you want is a brilliant stroke of luck, and sometimes getting what you want happened because you went out and got it.
How lucky are you feeling?