Do you consider yourself a lucky person? According to research, those who consider themselves lucky actually ARE more lucky. There's nothing mysterious about it.
Here's a video of psychologist Dr. Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor: The Four Essential Principles, explaining one way in which it works.
In his book Wiseman goes into more detail, describing four factors that lucky people have in common:
- They maximize their opportunities.
- They listen to their lucky hunches.
- They expect good fortune.
- They turn bad luck into good.
How can you apply these principles toward growing your practice?
1. MAXIMIZE OPPORTUNITY
Get out of your office. Talk to people - everyone is a potential client or referral source. See also this blog post: "Show up for Success"
Stay informed. Pay attention to what's going on in your community and among your target audience. Can you spot a need that you can fill with your skill set?
Get education and training that will open doors for you in the future.
2. LISTEN TO YOUR LUCKY HUNCHES (INTUITION)
This doesn't necessarily mean you should follow all your hunches, but do pay attention when you get a gut feeling (good or bad) about an opportunity. Be curious and open-minded about your hunches. Be willing and ready to take calculated risks, but also have a backup plan.
To help yourself become more aware of your gut feelings, practice meditation and mindfulness.
3. EXPECT GOOD FORTUNE
You know that expectations can affect outcomes in subtle ways. However, optimism alone will not necessarily produce the results you hope for.
On the other hand, paying attention to new opportunities in combination with a positive attitude will motivate you to feel and behave in a more confident way... which in turn will open the door to new opportunities and to people who are eager to help you.
4. TURN BAD LUCK INTO GOOD
Not every hunch or opportunity is going to work out. Everyone experiences failure. But those who become successful take lessons from their mistakes and build on them. Even catastrophic failures can be helpful, by forcing you to maximize your resilience and find creative solutions that you never would have thought of.
Do you have a "lucky" story?
Please share your lucky story in the comments section. Briefly describe how you happened to stumble on your lucky break.