How to Be Lucky

I've often wondered: Why do some people seem to have all the luck? Why is it always the same bunch who discover bags of cash in gas station bathrooms, spot UFOs on their lunch hours, or find the perfect pair of shoes for 50% off?

I'm still not sure I have the answer, but I did read an article this morning that made me think. Seems a few years back, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire decided to find out what made some people lucky. So he interviewed hundreds of individuals and performed a few telling experiments. In one such experiment:

"I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photographs were inside. I had secretly placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying: 'Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $50'.

This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than two inches high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it."

His conclusion? Lucky people are lucky because they keep their eyes and minds open to unexpected. (Hmmm. That sounds familiar.)

In this article, he even offers a few tips for those of us who'd like to be lucky:

1) Listen to your gut instincts because they're usually right.

2) Be open to new experiences and breaking your normal routine.

3) Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well.

4) Visualize yourself being lucky before an important event.

It all seems rather simple doesn't it? But I suspect he's right. If it's luck you're after, you have to get off the couch and go FIND it.

Gee, I think I just found my first New Year's resolution!