You Don’t Have To Be Irish To Be Lucky

“Lucky” people look at life differently than “unlucky” people do, and this lies in an optimistic attitude that good things can come out of the worst situations.

For instance: When my ex-husband and I moved from Switzerland to Pittsburgh, we searched for a house to rent. The house I wanted was nowhere near ideal, yet I imagined that it was our best bet for the money. However, the woman who owned it refused to rent it to us. I was angry at the time, but looking back, I realize that she was doing us a tremendous favor by not renting us her house.

The house we found—after looking at more than 30 frightening prospects—was absolutely perfect for us; reiterating my notion that what seems bad at the time may actually turn out to be fortunate. That experience taught me to always look on the bright side of seemingly negative encounters.

For the most part, my life has been a string of good fortune—I was adopted into a loving family, blessed with two beautiful children, a fulfilling career, amazing friendships and excellent health.  What’s my secret for success? I always expect good things to happen to me.

I do not believe in Murphy’s law that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Instead, I expect things to go right. And when things occasionally go awry, I figure that I must have chosen the wrong path.

There were several years when life kicked my ass, but I believe that it was that early foundation of inherent good fortune which enabled me to survive and even thrive. I truly believe that bad times make people stronger. However, I also believe that life is supposed to be fun!

Intuition plays a big part in the choices that I make. Sometimes, I’m rash and unpredictable, but I always listen to my heart. If something feels wrong, it probably is, and the same goes for those times when things just click, and I have the feeling that I’m onto something big.

I don’t dwell on my occasional disappointments, I instead focus on the things I’ve done right, because luck is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the same goes for failure.

Good luck charms, like rabbit’s feet and knocking on wood, are perfectly healthy ways to feel fortuitous, because they put people in a positive frame of mind. It doesn’t matter how you get there; as long as you believe in your luck, it will add to your self-confidence, and things will more than likely turn out the way you want.

Coincidence and happenstance occur most often for those who look for the random luck in life. The most important way to make lucky things happen is to be open to the possibility that the next person you talk to could be the love of your life or your next employer or your next best friend.

Keeping an open mind and an adventurous spirit is the key to encouraging luck to land in your lap. Instead of pitfalls, look for possibilities, and fear nothing.

Because as Tennessee Williams once said, “Luck is believing you’re lucky.” And as the lottery reminds us, “You’ve gotta play to win.”

©️Jill Cueni-Cohen