Believing in Good Luck

Many in this world attribute other people’s success to good luck. This belief is blind without any scientific analysis. The truth is that people make their own good or bad fortune. Psychologiest Richard Wiserman once conducted an experiment to find out why some people are consistently lucky? He examined about 5000 people from all walks of life and reached the following conclusion.

Lucky people generate their good fortune through six techniques. First, they are skilled in noticing opportunities. Second, they trust their intuition. Third, they could create positive expectations. Fourth, they have a resilient attitude, which transforms bad luck into good luck. Fifth, they take the risk when others don’t. Sixth, they believe that they are lucky.

Psychologists have coined a word ‘Counterfactual’ that is, people thinking that if they had put in a little more effort, they could have won the gold medal. There was a person who was at the bottom of the IAS list. He thought that if he had put in a little effort, he could have been in the first five. He did not think that he has been fortunate to find a place in the list. It is obvious that different people have different attitudes in life, which ultimately shape their destiny.

People believe that a cat crossing the path from right to left is bad luck and from left to right is god luck. A person conducted an experiment by allowing a cat to cross the path in both directions. It made no difference at all to the persons believing in this superstition. Another is belief that a childless women should ot be invited to an auspicious ceremony. There is no scientific basis for this assumption. In fact, there are many childless women who have rendered glorious service in the area of child care, child development and so on.

All of us have personal power. This power helps us through life, even when life is difficult. Our personal power gives us the strength to handle whatever life throws at us. Many people fail to recognize the power and allow life to drift. It simply means that we fail to take charge of our lives. We convince ourselves that we have no power but life controls us all the time. When we feel hopeless and depressed, we act as if there is no hope and we sabotage our own chances to win.

One of the main things wrong with most people is that they take life for granted. For eg. when someone near and dear dies in an accident, they are shaken and froze. On the other hand, I have a neighbour who says, “ I don’t take anything for granted. I am 80 years old; my wife is 76 and anytime anything can happen. If that happens, I should have a plan, a road map whether I should be alone or go and live with my children or enter an old-age-home. Without a plan, I could be stranded in life.” Another friend says, “Hope is the mainstay of man. Regret over the past is the biggest enemy. Not planning the future is like a directionless slip. In fact, I purchase a lottery ticket which carries a prize of 1 crore and then forget about it and go on hoping that I will win. On the day of the draw I find that I have not won but a mere lottery ticket has given me joy and happiness for almost a month.”

There was a police officer, who did an excellent job while in service but remained unmarried with a certain purpose. After retirement, he started visiting hospitals and started reading stories of success to patients, purchasing medicines for them, giving them hopes of recovery and a happy future life. He says, “I enjoy to, see that smile on the face of a person sinking or in trouble. I make them laugh which they have not done for days together. When I feed them with fruits, I see tears rolling down and I also cry along with them. It gives me pleasure and satisfaction.”
When you reach an elevation all levels disappear, when you fly in an aircraft at 40,000 ft. altitude, all Hills and Vales appear at the same level. Similarly, when you raise yourself, all differences disappear. You become one with the surroundings. Some people do not put up and display their name plate. They don’t carry any printed visiting card. Their names are inscribed in the minds of others. Even a person remembering you occasionally is enough. Remember, that a spectator can become a competitor if he wants to. After al, winning is not excelling over other people. Winning means, you are better than yesterday, not standing at the same place or stagnant, not allowing even grass to grow.