Feeling Lucky?
Posted by Dr. Judy at 3:00 am
© 2010 Dr. Judy Krings
Are you one of the lucky ones? My Mom and I recently had a friend tell us we both used the word “lucky” more than anyone else she knows. I raised my eyebrows in wonder.
So I monitored our words. We do often say, “I am so lucky”. Why? Because we notice the good. We acknowledge it and express our awed appreciation.
Also, I was taught to set my sites rather low. To be happy with what I had. And I was, until my senior year in college. Then I made a life-altering decision to want and expect more for myself. How? By listening to my college roommate who pushed me to taIk with a professor I had never met. A huge risk for bashful me. (Yes, I was still in my quiet, chicken stage!).
After that chat, the professor granted me a totally unexpected scholarship to Europe, “Previously I had said, “Poor kids didn’t study art in Europe.” After that, an epiphany, I realized I could make my luck. Open my mouth and ask. Notice options. Go for it!
The lesson? Always look out for opportunities. Catching lucky breaks is harder as we get older – not because our opportunities change, but because we do. ’People in their teens and 20s tend to be open because they’re discovering who they are as a person,’ says psychologist Todd Kashdan, author of the book Curious? ’As we get older, we become more crystallised in our thinking and create rigid rules, eliminating chances to change.’
Ever wondered why other people get all the breaks?
How to think yourself lucky
Todd Kashdan’s quote lit me up like a Christmas tree. A gift of opportunity.
What is lucky to you?
How can you get more of it?
I hope you anticipate and celebrate when luck knocks on your door.
Knock…Knock… :)
