Make Your Own Luck

July 9th 2007

lucky charms cereal Luck and being lucky is a funny concept. Nobody is born naturally more lucky than anyone else. Those people who are always in the right place at the right time and get the big breaks in their careers largely make their own luck, whether they are aware of it or not. Compared to something like winning a lottery, which is pure chance, with luck you have the ability to influence it and increase those chances of being lucky. Read the rest of the article for 3 tips on how to do just that (no lucky leprechauns included).

Learn as much as you can.
This is the first and most important rule. How effectively you apply this rule influences the effectiveness of the other rules. If you want a promotion, learn as much as you can about the position and the people involved in it. Beside the obvious benefits of having done your pre-interview research you may also come across key information you can use to your advantage. For instance, one of the managers in the new position may be an old school friend you can put in a good word for you.

Related to this point is being open to new experiences. As well as learning new things you also open new doors and opportunities for yourself that you can use to your advantage, even if you may not be aware of it at the time.

Be proactive
Once you have learn as much as you can, put it to use as much as possible. The biggest mistake you can make is to wait for a lucky break to come along. You need to take matters into your own hands. Using the job application example again, once you have learnt as much as you can about the job you are applying for, researched good interview technique etc, you need to put it into practice as much as possible. Get feedback from your current managers, apply interview techniques, like being relaxed but firm, into your team briefings. Be prepared to take any opportunities that come your way.

Put the odds in your favour
I’m going to use a sports analogy to emphasis this point (sorry!). The most successful football (or soccer) teams get more penalties because they get the ball in the penalty area more than anyone else. That’s where most goals are scored so it makes sense to put the odds in their favour and get the ball in there as much as possible. For instance, go into an interview wearing your smartest suit if it requires it and get a good night sleep too. By dressing better and being more rested than other interviewees you instantly increase the odds in your favour.

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