“I am a great believer in luck…the harder I work, the more I have.”
In today’s article, we’ll look at tips and tricks for improving your chances of having a better life. Does that sound too good to be true? This isn’t a scam, we promise! This is the science of increasing your luck surface.
What Is a Luck Surface?
The concept of a luck surface comes from the idea that the more opportunities you create for yourself, the more likely you are to experience good things. You can think of it as the area in your life where lucky events can “land.” The larger your surface, the more chances you have to catch these lucky breaks.
Okay, Give Me Some Examples!
Okay, imagine two people. One of them is sitting on their couch, watching TV. The other is at a conference about something they’re interested in, meeting new people and discussing ideas. Which one do you think is more likely to run into some luck?
Exactly. Maybe you can’t make yourself more “lucky” in any abstract sense, but you can set yourself up for more opportunities for that luck to strike. Here’s how!
7 Ways to Expand Your Luck Surface
1. Put Yourself Out There
In How Luck Happens: Using the Science of Luck to Transform Work, Love, and Life, Janice Kaplan and Barnaby Marsh posit that much of luck is really just better networking.
The more people you know and have great relationships with, the more opportunities you’ll have for work, travel, shared interests, etc. But that doesn’t mean you should send everyone a friend request; authentic connections are more likely to lead to real opportunities. And yes, we know making friends can feel trickier as you get older, but if you keep an open mind, you never know where a friendship may form.
2. Maintain Relationships
Keep in mind, maintaining relationships is just as important as creating them! Reach out to friends and family, even if just to say hello, and keep in mind how you can help others, not just what you can gain. Finally, we know that addiction and mental health can often stress our relationships, but rebuilding trust is a powerful thing.
3. Hard Work: The Foundation of Luck
The quote at the top of this article highlights a fundamental truth: hard work often leads to more opportunities. By putting in the effort, you’re more likely to be noticed, make connections, and encounter situations that can lead to positive outcomes.
Knowing what you want to achieve is key to all this as clear goals give us direction and purpose. Regular, consistent work is more effective than sporadic bursts of hard work, and seeking feedback is key to learning from your mistakes and continuously improving your skills.
4. Emotional Intelligence: The Key to Expanding Your Luck Surface
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as recognize and influence the emotions of others. High EI can significantly expand your luck surface by enhancing your interpersonal relationships and decision-making skills. EI helps you build stronger supportive networks, manage stress better, make more thoughtful and informed decisions, handle setbacks well, and view challenges as opportunities.
5). The Power of Intent
William A. Tiller, Professor Emeritus at Stanford, has shown that positive human intention can significantly affect physical reality. His research suggests that intention matters, so, being clear about what you want can help your luck have somewhere to land in your life. Being declarative about your desires and putting them into the world creates an environment receptive to luck.
6. Consider Yourself Lucky
Luck, as it turns out, is something of a mind game — and one you can skew in your favour. Richard Wiseman, professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, conducted an experiment that showed self-described lucky people tend to notice opportunities more than those who consider themselves unlucky. Try making a list of things to be grateful for; focusing on the good things in your life can help you feel lucky.
7. Mix Up Your Routine
We’ve talked about the importance of embracing discomfort, and how much growth can come from going outside your comfort zone. It turns out that mixing up your routine and doing new things can also expand your luck surface, as it exposes you to novel opportunities you might not have even imagined. Be open to new experiences, and go into them with confidence and curiosity.
In Conclusion
While luck might seem like a magical concept or random force, you actually have more control over it than you might think. Research shows that we can expand our luck surface through hard work, emotional intelligence, effective networking, and openness to new experiences
So go out there, expand your luck surface, and create a life rich with opportunities!
Sunshine Coast Health Centre and Georgia Strait Women’s Clinic are world-class centers for addiction treatment and mental health. We take an approach that recognizes the importance of the physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of individuals in treatment and recovery. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use or mental health, give us a call today.
