My Two Cents
by Michele Tester
Good Luck, Bad Luck, Or No Luck At All?
March features St. Patrick’s Day, a day honoring the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, and marking the anniversary of his death in the 5th century. Over time, the day has evolved into a global celebration of Irish culture, heritage, festivities, the color green, leprechauns…and good luck.
Leprechauns, according to Irish legend folklore, would hide their pot of gold treasure at the end of a rainbow. Catch one, and he’d have to tell you where his pot of gold was hidden, symbolizing luck and prosperity for you.
The pot of gold, the four-leaf clover, the color green, well, they all symbolize good luck. And good luck symbolization is not just reserved for St. Patrick’s Day. As humans, we mark various objects, rituals, and animals as being “lucky” or “unlucky.”
Take the penny, for instance. I know we have all seen a penny on the ground and had the thought: Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long, you’ll have good luck. I’m not sure about you, but this one has never worked for me. I have a friend who found and picked up a “lucky” penny one day, and her car was hit that day. How about the horseshoe? You had better hang it with the open end facing up, so all your good luck doesn’t run out. The four-leaf clover? I’ve been looking for one of those since I was a kid. Ladybugs are generally considered bringers of good luck and protection. If one lands on you, that means you will have good luck.
For all the symbols we attach to good luck, we have just as many symbolizing bad luck. Don’t break a mirror, or you will suffer seven years of bad luck. How about the “never walk under a ladder” or “never open an umbrella inside.” Everyone is aware of the bad luck supposedly attached to a black cat walking in front of your path.
I know I’ve pondered over the “luck thing” many times. Is there really such a thing as good luck? Or bad luck? Or is it just random? Or is it created, one way or the other, by the choices we make or don’t make?
Over my life thus far, I have witnessed people who seem to bask in the “good luck” category. Take, for instance, a simple game played for prizes, like Bingo. Winning is just by chance, right? There is no control a person has over winning; it’s random. Yet, over the years that my husband and I have been playing at the same establishment, we have seen the same person win over and over. Wow, we think, that person has some really good luck.
On the opposite side of that coin, I have also witnessed people who seem to be dealt the crappy hand, with seemingly no good luck at all, one bad outcome after another.
But is what happens to us on any given day really due to luck, good or bad? Or is it just something that we label it as, depending on our perspective?
Some say that whether good or bad luck actually exists hinges more on belief, mindset, and perspective, rather than a proven, objective magical force.
Research conducted by psychologist Richard Wiseman found that “lucky” people often create their own luck through a positive, proactive mindset, being open to taking risks and seeking opportunities. In contrast, “unlucky” people tend to be more anxious and rigid, thereby missing potential opportunities.
So, is good luck self-fulfilling? Does what we focus our attention on determine our “luck”?
Studies show that our focus most definitely matters. Individuals who expect good fortune are more likely to notice opportunities in their environment and be open to new experiences, whereas those expecting bad luck tend to be more inflexible, more focused on potential failures, and therefore, miss windows of opportunity. These missed opportunities can cause a negative situation, whereby the individual then labels it as “bad luck.”
We’ve all heard the phrase, “If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” No doubt, we’ve all felt that way at one time or another. Life seems to unfold in patterns, or what we perceive as patterns.
Research shows that our brains are evolutionarily designed to detect patterns (like spotting predators or food), which often results in seeing patterns where none actually exist. Our brains compel us to find the order in things, which, in turn, drives people to find meaning or structure in random, unrelated events. When a person experiences a series of misfortunes or hard times, this inherent need to find patterns leads them to believe in “bad luck streaks,” even though the events are statistically independent. Our brains link them together, and we feel like we are having continuous “bad luck.”
So, what is the takeaway?
In a world where life can sometimes get messy, where we seem to be always rushing from one thing to the next, where our focus is sometimes misdirected, where chaos can sometimes become the norm, and where, let’s be honest, it’s sometimes darn hard to always stay positive, there is always hope and a path to turn that “bad luck” around.
And so, today, let’s start by embracing the mindset to create our own “luck.” Adopt a positive mindset. Rewire your brain to expect good things to happen, thereby opening your mind to notice opportunities. Believe in good luck. The belief in good luck can often act like a self-fulfilling prophecy, resulting in a person feeling more confident and ready to seize opportunities and new experiences.
Ultimately, not one of us can control random events in our lives, no matter how hard we try to. What we “label” as good luck or bad luck quite simply can be attributed to how we perceive and interpret what is happening to us. We could all use a bit of “good luck” to come our way. I’d like to win at Bingo once in a while, but I digress. The fact is that in our lifetimes, we will “experience” good luck as much as we will bad luck. The only difference, and what the impact on our lives will be, is what we do with it.
That’s just my two cents.
