From the Editor
“You better thank your lucky stars,” was a common phrase around my house while growing up. I usually heard it when things could have gone wrong, but didn’t. Such as the time I left my shopping bag at the food court in the mall and it was still there when I ran back. “Whew!” I would declare as my mom reminded me to “Thank my lucky stars.”
Were you born under a lucky star? Does luck follow you around? Do you remember carrying a rabbit’s foot in the 80s to ensure luck on a math test? I cringe when I think about that one. (Poor bunny!) Different cultures have put faith in a variety of lucky charms and symbols.
In several European countries, carp fish scales are considered lucky. Carp is a traditional Christmas meal. Once the meal is over, people retrieve the carp scales and sometimes put them in their wallets until the following Christmas Eve for good luck.
The Hamsa Hand, or Khamsa, is common in both Jewish and Muslim communities as a sign of good luck. It is said to protect people from negative energy and bring happiness to the beholder.
In China, red bats are thought to ward off evil, so they’re worn as lucky charms. Five red bats stand for the five good fortunes of health, longevity, love, wealth, and virtue.
In Ireland, four-leaf clovers are a St. Patrick’s Day tradition and are a symbol of good luck.The leaves are said to stand for faith, hope, love, and luck. It’s often said that Ireland is home to more four-leaf clovers than any other place, giving meaning to the phrase “the luck of the Irish.”
Do these symbols make a person lucky, or is there more to the story? Rather than searching for a four leaf clover (it is estimated to be 1 every in 10,000), here are eight ways experts say you can improve your luck:
- Be Mindful. When you are operating mindlessly, on auto-pilot, you are unlikely to observe opportunities or take advantage of a situation.
- Be proactive. “Lucky” people make things happen. They are proactive rather than reactive. They make their future.
- Be opportunistic. People who practice opportunism see opportunities all around them and are able to use them to their advantage.
- Be insightful. We all have insight to varying degrees, yet some are better than others at being open to hearing those inner voices.
- Be flexible. Life is always changing. Appreciating the dynamics of life and being able to go with the flow provides enormous advantages to finding new ways of doing things or creating opportunities.
- Be optimistic. Lucky people with an optimistic outlook are better able to identify the silver lining in any given situation.
Think out of the box. An innovative redesign or a new creative strategy is the one that will appear to be lucky.
Be resilient. When at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again. As Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that didn’t work” before finding the one way that did.
As we approach St Patrick’s Day, we wish you good cheer and the luck of the Irish.
Peace & Love,
Cindy
