I’m a firm believer of making your own luck.
It’s about being in the right time, at the right place. With the right skills, attitude, beliefs, openness, humility, and courage, to get lucky.
And this goes for everything! That promotion of yours, the hundred bill you just picked up, or even your current lover.
The intersection of so many unrelated paths, coming together for astounding results. Luck.
So how do you have more of it? And on a more consistent basis?
What habits, have I found, that make you lucky?
Getting enough sleep
At first, I thought that waking up early would make me luckier. It worked for me, being the morning person that I am, but what about the successful, and happy people I knew who wake up at 11AM?
Then, it dawned on me. It wasn’t necessarily about what time you wake up, but first off, did you get enough sleep to recharge yourself?
I thought that if I had less of a need for sleep, I would be more productive, and get luckier.
I found that the opposite happened.
I became more irritated, short-tempered, and less creative. I couldn’t think my way out of simple problems, and had a tough time making decisions on the fly, especially when it mattered most.
What happens when you get enough sleep? You think more creatively, think faster, move faster, and stronger. Your body has time to repair itself, to heal. Your mind has had ample time to process past events, and you may even end up making better decisions, because of it!
Never underestimate the power of a good night’s rest.
Get clear on the dream, daily
I thought having a dream was enough. I wanted to be some rich dude lounging around on a mountain, or beach, all happy.
But then, I also wanted to make an impact on the lives of people. I wanted to play music. I wanted to write. I wanted to travel. I wanted to this, I wanted that.
I worked hard. I made headway, but never completely.
I never felt fulfilled.
At times, I gave up. I felt tired, took a break, and never returned to it. Gone was the initial inspiration of me pushing myself to achieve my dreams.
What were my dreams again?
See, I thought it was enough to have a dream, but the real secret in having a dream, is getting crystal clear what it is, what it looks, and feels like, and reminding yourself, every single day.
That reminding yourself part, is crucial. That’s the success habit.
Because if you remind yourself of your dream, what you’re working towards, every single day, you get reminded of what it is that you want, keeping it front and center in your mind.
And if you don’t want it anymore, or want to add, subtract, or change the dream, then do so. That’s not a problem.
The problem is forgetting, and allowing your dreams to die.
When we are not reminded of our dreams, of our compelling vision, daily, our dreams then slowly drift away, into the back of our heads, simmering away on the back burner.
Then suddenly, 20 years from now, you get reminded of them, by some twist of fate.
And then ask yourself, “What was I doing? What happened to my dream?”
Get crystal clear on what your dreams are. If you have a lot, then get clear on each one, individually, and how they all link up together.
Remind yourself everyday.
Focus on high-impact activities
Because nobody wants to be the hamster on the treadmill, running furiously, getting nowhere fast.
And yet, for a long time, that was me, working jobs, for causes and visions that weren’t mine, and that choked the life out of me.
For people who were out to get me, all the while trying to woo me because we all had to work together harmoniously. The irony or corporate offices and team building.
And yet, what are the small things, that you need to do, to move forward, closer to your dreams?
What’s the simplest step you can take, now?
High-impact activities don’t necessarily need to be large in size, or high in difficulty. But we often see them as such.
Because we don’t want to make a mistake.
Because we don’t want to fail, and to be labeled as failures.
Because we don’t want to try, and be disappointed in the result.
I’ve found languishing in my present state, where I’m not pushing for my dreams, but I’m living an OK, comfortable life, to be way more preferable, than pushing through the fear and doubt I have, and just making a go for it.
At least, until the shit hits the fan, and something happens, that causes me to regret not pushing for my dreams, and achieving greater success.
When I see my family suffering, from my mad scramble to pay for rent.
When I see my family suffering over simple things that could be solved, with money.
When I see people I could have helped, had I the resources.
When I see great opportunities being borne, but with me unable to take advantage.
What’s the one thing that you can do today, and each and every day, to move the needle forward.
Focus on the wildly important.
Go for high-impact. Again, and again, and again.
Get lucky, always
Because like success, luck is based upon habits that put you in the right place, with the right frame of mind, and the right skills and capability, to take advantage of the opportunities that you want.
Or actually, luck = success.
The more you work on yourself, on a consistent, day to day basis, the luckier you get.
Get hustling.
Get moving.
Get lucky.
What habits do you have, that make you luckier? Please share in the comments below!
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