Is it Luck, Perseverance, or Persistence?

Is It Luck, Perseverance, or Persistence  

Top of the morning to you my friends.    We just finished up a month of self love and I trust you were good to yourself.

I am going to declare February as self-love month and trust you treated yourself even more lovingly this month.  Sometimes we need to be reminded that self-love is vital to our well-being.  What special things did you do for yourself this past month.  Am I being a pest about this….you betcha.  We all have a tendency to slip and slide back to the same old routine so I hope you downloaded one or two of the self-love podcasts to replay when you need a reminder to be kind to yourself. 

Holy toledo, it’s already March.  Where has the time gone?

I was in Florida last weekend loving myself and my family by attending a soccer tournament. By the crowds of people out and about it’s clear that we are slowly emerging from the pandemic.  I know not everyone has been vaccinated so do your part and take a little caution wherever you go. 

While we were in Orlando, we went to Disney Springs; we we all had to have our temperatures taken and wear masks before entering the area.  It was quite comforting.   Do your part, even if you have been vaccinated.  What was so inspring was The energy and spirit of the people was joyous. So much that when the music played, I was out in the plaza moving to the music and dancing.  It truly did lift everyone’s spirits.  

When the musician started playing a bit of Irish music, I thought about the luck of the Irish and what an appropriate topic since we are in the month of March.  Even though you may not be Irish I believe this little Irish wish is good for all of us.

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light.  May good luck pursue you both morning and night. 

How many of you have heard the saying, you have the  “The luck of the Irish."  Do you know how that phrase came about? The origins of the ‘luck of the Irish’ saying can be traced back to the late 1800’s in America during the gold and silver rush. At that time, Irish and Irish Americans were some of the most successful miners to prosper and that is how the saying came to be.  

Let’s dive deeper into that.  Was is really luck or was it, hard work, perseverance and persistence?

Luck my friends is simply preparation meeting opportunity. And these “LUCKY PEOPLE”  were willing to work harder and longer than others.  They took menial jobs to survive. 

The big migration of the Irish to the US was so they could have a better life for their families and not be persecuted for their religion.  They clearly were the underdogs coming to America like many other immigrants, no one wanted to give them jobs but they persevered.   

Now I don’t mean this to be history lesson and I want you to consider how this conversation plays into your daily life. My question to you is, are you lucky, persistent and dogged in order to build a better life for yourself and your family? And, do we have the ability to create our own luck?  Was it simply luck for the the miners? Believe it or not, we can influence our “luck”.

Imagine these miners that worked hours and hours in pursuit of their dream of finding silver and gold.  Did they give up, absolutely not.  They were unafraid to work hard and firmly believed they could build a better life.  When things got tough, they kept on going.  When others went to bed at night, they kept on mining and believed in their ability to strike it rich.  That is luck in the making. 

So where does your luck come from?  Are you creating it?  Are you intentional about the outcome you wish to experience each day.  It is funny when something good happens you people will say you are lucky.  I look at them and say, it’s not luck, it was intentional and created through my efforts.  

Richard Wiseman, a British psychologist, has studied the luck phenomenon and proved we can actually influence luck. Follow his tips, and you'll learn how to become very fortunate. 

For most people, luck is sudden, unexpected, and indefinable. It's something they either believe in or not. But recent research by Richard Wiseman has shown that there are particular patterns all lucky things and losers have in their behavior, lifestyle, and mindset. You knew this was coming now didn’t you? 

According to his research paper "The Luck Factor," good fortune is not a kind of magic — it's mostly your attitude. Lucky people tend to be more open-minded, smiling, and easy-going, while poor underdogs live deep in their anxiety, look tense, and feel unhappy. It all affects the decisions both groups make, the opportunities they seize, and the luck they get.

We all know people who constantly complain about getting fewer opportunities. It's why they're not successful at work, can't meet a perfect partner, or don't fulfill their dreams. But the major problem is their inattentiveness and fear of taking risks. Being too focused on what you have (or don't have) in your life distracts your attention from finding, trying, and creating cool new stuff.

 Listen to your hunches 

What can you do?  Keep your eyes and mind open. Don't wait for things to happen. Be the master of your life, and don't fear the unknown.

Getting on well with your subconsciousness can also make you luckier. Fortunate people always listen to the signals their body and mind send, and they learn how to read them properly.

Clear your mind of all the usual doubts and anxiety, and try to become good friends with your inner voice. 

Expect Good Luck

Luck is believing you are lucky." This attitude helps most people stay positive and optimistic no matter what. You might say it looks like self-delusion as so many bad things happen, and it's just impossible to be always lucky! In a way, yes, it is true. But as you can't be 100% sure you won't get lucky, why not allow yourself some good expectations? Moreover, staying positive helps you to cope with failures and to not give up.

Instead of wasting your energy on expecting the bad, use it in a more positive way and expect a positive outcome.

Turn bad luck into good luck.  

Ripped your jacked (as my husband did on a recent trip). Maybe it's time to treat yourself and buy an updated jacket. 

That's how lucky people think. Believing in good luck is not enough for them — they just deny the existence of misfortunes. Crazy, right? But there is no delusion in these cases. They play the hand they are dealt and don't complain.

Don't dwell on bad luck. Find positivity everywhere!

Yet we can't control everything. A lot of fortunate people believe that luck can't be attracted or influenced, but you can still increase your chances by influencing serendipity. They say in order to raise the prospects of lucky chances, they use the following techniques:

• They change their daily routine by taking different roads to the same place or eating in different restaurants.
• They meet people in various environments.
• They work on new and unusual tasks.

All these things broaden the borders of your ordinary life and give more space for new opportunities, which we all now know you should catch right away!

So what are your methods of attracting luck?

I will leave you with this…

“Wherever you go, whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be there with you!”

Until next time, stay focused, stay positive and continue to find new ways of having fun AND 

NO MATTER WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BE, DO or HAVE, Love yourself first, carry the luck of the IRISH in your spirit and follow your DREAM.