Dearest readers, despite those who believe otherwise, there is such a thing as luck. I chose this topic because the times we live in made me think about it and then remember some scientific studies and this thing called the "Luck School" that I read about a few years ago (yes, read about lol- I do read now and then). I did a refresher on the topic and wanted to share it with you and hopefully inspire you to become luckier in your life no matter how lucky you are (or feel you are) right now.
A few years ago, there was a slew of articles about Richard Wiseman, a psychology professor at the University of Hertfordshire who published a bestseller called the Luck Factor after studying exceptionally lucky and unlucky people. He also ran a series of experiments called the Luck School. Needless to say, the man is one of undoubtedly a handful of luck experts worldwide. Here are a few key things that he identified make people lucky or luckier.
This is the gist of what I learned and the most important highlights of his research that we can start implementing today, as many people already do. What I found very interesting about this entire topic is its qualitative approach. A quantitative approach would be utilized by a statistician or a data scientist who would try to calculate luck in some way or another. However, Dr. Williams' qualitative approach is the one I enjoy a lot more because it is qualitative- it tries to tackle the topic based on human condition and our understanding of the our needs and the world around us.
Is there anything else you do in your life that makes you luckier, but I did not mention it here? If you feel like sharing, please do :)
A few years ago, there was a slew of articles about Richard Wiseman, a psychology professor at the University of Hertfordshire who published a bestseller called the Luck Factor after studying exceptionally lucky and unlucky people. He also ran a series of experiments called the Luck School. Needless to say, the man is one of undoubtedly a handful of luck experts worldwide. Here are a few key things that he identified make people lucky or luckier.
- Maximize opportunities. Dr. Wiseman noticed that lucky people seem that way because they frequently identify and act upon chance opportunities in their lives. This also means they place themselves in a position from which they can act on them to begin with. For example, if your thing is to flip amazingly profitable thrift store finds on eBay, you need to know how to do it and you need to have the time and purchasing funds or credit as well.
- Lucky people have some key personality traits and are missing some other ones and this combination makes them luckier in life. Being more extroverted, open to new experiences and not being anxious and neurotic have been identified by Dr. Wiseman as crucial to luck in everyday life.
- Lucky people act on their intuition more often than a baseline population average. Dr. Williams noticed this in his studies and also identified what intuition means in the context of his research on luck. He noticed that when people get really good at something or familiar with something that makes them lucky, their bodies and minds remember these luck related patterns and react without conscious thought processing whenever these patterns pop up in everyday life.
- Most lucky people are optimistic and Dr. Williams noticed this is integral to them being lucky in the first place. The feeling that things will work out gives people more grit, which allows them to persevere and turn even potentially unlucky or neutral situations and endeavors into lucky ones.
This is the gist of what I learned and the most important highlights of his research that we can start implementing today, as many people already do. What I found very interesting about this entire topic is its qualitative approach. A quantitative approach would be utilized by a statistician or a data scientist who would try to calculate luck in some way or another. However, Dr. Williams' qualitative approach is the one I enjoy a lot more because it is qualitative- it tries to tackle the topic based on human condition and our understanding of the our needs and the world around us.
Is there anything else you do in your life that makes you luckier, but I did not mention it here? If you feel like sharing, please do :)