The Surprising Secret to Being Lucky

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to consistently experience good luck while others struggle with bad luck?

Turns out that you can control your luck.

To make sense of this, let me tell you the story of Dr. Richard Wiseman's fascinating experiment from 2003, which provided some exciting insight into this phenomenon.

The experiment

Dr. Wiseman recruited participants who identified themselves as either very lucky or very unlucky. He then asked them to perform a simple task: to count the number of photographs in a newspaper.

The results were mind blowing. The unlucky group took about two minutes to complete the task, while the lucky group finished in mere seconds.

The secret revealed

The reason for this striking difference lay on page two of the newspaper. In bold font, it read: "Stop counting, there are 43 photographs in this newspaper." Lucky participants noticed this message and stopped counting, saving time. Unlucky participants either missed it or doubted its validity, continuing their count unnecessarily.

What does this tell us about luck?

Luck is not just about chance. It's a lot about how we seek, perceive, and respond to opportunities.

Lucky people tend to be more open, intuitive, and positive - believing that they have luck - which helps them notice and seize unexpected chances. On the other hand, unlucky individuals often miss these opportunities due to a narrow focus and believing they won't come.

If we translate this into the business world, imagine if your entire staff believed they were lucky. Can you see how this could drive top-line growth?

Two things you can take away from this:

1.	Stay open-minded: Be receptive to new information and unexpected opportunities - they might be just in front of you.
2.	Cultivate positivity: Maintain a positive outlook - expect to see opportunities, and you will.

Share this story with your colleagues and teams, and be the bearer of good luck ⭐

This article first appeared in Emmi Kavander’s newsletter. If you’d like to receive insights like this straight to your inbox—before anyone else - subscribe to the monthly newsletter here.