Finding Luck

“The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.”
Edward Gibbons

Doesn’t it seem that some people have all the luck and that no matter what happens, they always seem to come out on top? How do we catch all the breaks so that we can be happy and successful? The truth is everyone has challenges and obstacles in life but great leaders and successful people have a way of turning bad things to good. Below are some ideas of how we can ensure that the winds and waves are always on our side.

#1 Attitude

If attitude isn’t everything it must be close. Our attitude determines so much of our success. When things go bad, do we lose hope? Or do we think we can’t? If we can realign our thoughts and maintain a positive attitude then good things will happen. When we maintain an attitude of perseverance and we believe we can overcome anything that comes are way, we eventually will come out on top.

#2 Remain Calm

Unexpected things are going to happen in life and what may seem like a mountain today, will soon appear as a mole hill tomorrow. When the winds and waves of life change directions, we need to remain calm. And before we wave the white flag or even worse, abandon ship, we need to relax and put things into perspective. Too often we are too quick to throw everything away when something doesn’t go quite as we expected. But if we can remain calm and think before we react, we will find success.

#3 Focus on the Positive

Bad things happen all the time, it is part of life. But even when bad things happen, often times good can come of it if we look for it. Next time something bad happens, rather than dwelling on the negative, look for the positive that may come. Search for the silver lining no matter how difficult it may be. In almost all of life experiences, we can find something positive that will come of it.

#4 Take Ownership

There is nothing more empowering than believing that we control our destiny. Sure we can’t control the winds and the waves in life but we can control how we react to them. And when we react to them positively it will nearly always cause them to push us in the right direction. So much of our success and/or failure in life is due to our own reactions to life. If we take full responsibility for our actions and results at all times, then we will be an able navigator in life.

By striving to follow the four steps above, we can become one of those who seemingly get all the breaks or has all the lucky as we find success in this oft times stormy life.