Do You Really Make Your Own Luck?

How often have you heard the phrase or have been encouraged to ‘make your own luck’? And is that something that is actually possible? Luck can be defined as the success or failure that is brought about by chance rather than through one’s own actions. In a world where everything happens by the theory of cause and effect, every aspect of life is so complex that we can only begin to reliably predict it to be as such. We, as human beings, have an innate sense that we can predict what is going to happen next and that an outcome can be predicted or influenced by acting in a certain way.

There is a theory behind seizing luck and that is in the fact that there is a supposedly a difference between some of us; some people spot an opportunity and let it pass whereas others seize an opportunity and make the most of the hand that they are held. People that seize the opportunities that they are given are more open to the idea of their being a fork in the pathway of their lives and are able to see the possibilities that others miss. These people effectively do ‘make their own luck’. The great thing about those who are able to make their own luck is that they are also able to brush off disappointment if things don’t work out and launch themselves into their next venture- these people are generally happier and are more able to achieve their goals.

If we take a recent worldwide issue as an example, we can look at the recent events of the US Presidential Election. Those of us who were disappointed in the election results and are unhappy with the fact that Donald Trump resides at the Whitehouse are urged to see his presidency as yet another fork in the road of life and turn the negative executive orders he is issuing into a positive. Being able to protest peacefully and do whatever possible in your day to day life to counteract the division he has been causing around the world is all about making your own luck and making a situation work for you. Those of us who remain strong in the face of a bad situation are as lucky as we can be!

Another argument in favour of making your own luck is the idea that once you get ‘lucky’ (i.e. something falls in your favour), positive enforcement power takes over. The key trait in staying lucky and keeping up a ‘lucky streak’ is to be careful about what you choose to do and what you get into. Alternatively people may argue that just about everything that happens to us is all as a result of random chance, as second to second events and actions and reactions are as a result of natural processes and constantly occurring random events that can pop up at any given time of the day. Unless you are willing to lock yourself in your home and refuse to deviate from your routine, you are sure to be surrounded by a sea of random chance and luck- some good and some bad.

While the chance of you winning the jackpot in the National Lottery is 1 in 14 million, your odds of becoming a millionaire seem disappointingly low. However, simply entering into the competition puts you one step closer to achieving your goals and THAT is what making your own luck is all about!