The Thing About Luck

- by Matt Leedham

So…the thing about luck is…

There is no luck.

Sorry. But luck has nothing to do with success. I’ll admit there’s a little luck involved with winning the lottery, but that’s about it.

I’ve been saying this for years, especially after an old mentor of mine told me that there is no such thing as luck. In fact, I remember him saying that it’s almost insulting when someone says you’re lucky for the position you are in or the opportunities you have. He was right.

Luck = being prepared for opportunity.

Some people walk around with their eyes open. Some people walk around every corner of their lives looking for opportunity with their eyes wide open. Just like in relationships, when your receptors are open, opportunities present themselves. And when you are ready for them, things happen.

Guess what. This isn’t just my brilliant theory. Professor Richard Wiseman is at it again! Check out the psychology of luck, where Prof. Wiseman’s study concludes that “lucky” people tend to employ these four principles:

1. Maximize Chance Opportunities (expand your network and listen more)
2. Listen to Your Gut (hunches are creativity and opportunity speaking to you)
3. Expect Good Fortune (haven’t we mentioned the power of positivity before?)
4. Turn Bad Luck to Good (again, stay positive and keep bad moments in the moment)

So, please don't use luck as an excuse. Other people aren't luckier than you, and you don't have "bad luck." Good things happen and bad things happen. What we do with it is entirely up to us.

Stay open. Stay positive. Expect good things. Put yourself out there. Talk to people. Share. Receive.

Make things happen.

New Year's Resolutions

- by Matt Leedham

It’s that time of year again. As New Year’s Day approaches, many of us are faced with the challenge of choosing (and hopefully sticking to) a New Year’s resolution.

But why do we do this? Why engage in this annual ritual?

The reason for setting resolutions on the first of the year has certainly evolved over the centuries, but a couple of things seem to be clear. The obvious is that the New Year represents a new start, a clean slate, and a chance to press the reset button. Our current interpretation of resolutions likely got its legs from religious traditions. Christians prefer to sacrifice a vice during Lent (e.g. chocolate, alcohol, TV, etc.) and from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur Jews reflect on wrongdoings and seek to improve themselves. Many other religions and cultures share similar traditions during their New Year and high holidays.

This is all very interesting, but how effective are New Year’s resolutions? I’m fascinated by this topic every year when the gym seems to be packed in early January, but empty again in late February.

Professor Richard Wiseman is behind Quirkology, a collection of many interesting studies into daily living. Three years ago, his team tracked over 3,000 people that set New Year’s resolutions, including the most common ones of losing weight, working out, drinking less, volunteering more, etc.

Alarmingly, while 52% of respondents were confident of success, one year later only 12% actually achieved their goal. Yikes!

What he found in his study (and what we have found coaching people on goal achievement) is that you are much more likely to be successful if you set specific, measurable goals that have a deadline. In fact, Professor Wiseman found that 22% of men were more likely to achieve their resolution if they engage in proper goal setting techniques. He also found that telling others about your resolution and seeking support from friends and family was another important factor toward achievement. Specifically, women were 10% more likely to be successful when reaching out to others.

We want you to succeed this year! Here are three things you can do to dramatically improve your ability to succeed this January and beyond:

1. Set specific, measurable goals, with deadlines and checkpoints.
2. Use your network and resources to achieve your goal.
3. Sign up for our Goal Setting Workshop this Saturday (December 11th) where we'll teach you all of this in greater detail!