that is luck too

Some guys have indeed all the luck...at least in certain situations. Watch carefully!

a view on luck and karma

Karma is a sanskrit word for "deed". In both Hinduism and Buddhism, karma is based upon the phenomena of cause and effect which denotes both action and reaction that extend through many lifetimes.
In our culture, we often confuse karma with fate or the notion that the future is written in stone. Whenever we feel overwhelmed and can't find a way to overcome our problems, we can even be tempted to believe that we are victims of karma and there is not much we can do to escape from its tentacles.
Another mistake we can fall into is the belief that karma is good or bad. We might subscribe to the notion that good karma is like good luck, while bad karma is bad luck.
These beliefs, while hinting at the truth, can be misleading and confusing.

Psychic medium and and lightworker Erin Pavlina describes the action of karma in a simple and suggestive way. Any thought, action, or emotional event is like a pebble thrown onto the calm surface of a pond. The pebble creates ripples that have consequences as they spread out on the pond's surface and interact with floating objects and the shoreline. The greater the size of the pebble and the stronger the intensity with which it is thrown, the greater the size of the ripple. The ripples formed into our pond will come back to us, many-fold.

Every action you take, every choice you make, sends ripples of effect through the pond of our reality. Small acts, small ripples. Big acts, bigger ripples. What you do impacts other people. What they do, impacts you.
What is your pebble doing right now? Is it sending ripples of love, compassion, and courage throughout our pond, or is it sending out ripples of envy, anger, and fear? How would you like your pebble to behave?

If you feel you've got a lot of bad karma going on in your life:

• take a step back, look at your life
• it may be a sign - learn possible lessons
• be harmless, be aware of ego, fears, motivation
• see the good / positive in the situation - there is always a silver lining!
• remember that from crisis and suffering comes opportunity, lessons renewal and faith
• in some extreme cases, you might consider a karma clearing session or meditation

And to build up good karma:

• have / show compassion and mercy for all conscious beings ie. become vegetarian, non-violent, pray, develop pure altruistic intention / motivation
• develop your inner virtues ie. patience, generosity, praise, wisdom, concentration, effort, reverance, gratitude etc.
• give 10% of your income to charity or less fortunate people
• learn to be in alignment with your soul / higher Self

"Where thought goes, energy follows" Chinese Proverb

Related books: Be as You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi

luck and optimism

In a preceeding post, we have seen that the essence of luck is opportunity, so it follows that the more opportunities one encounters and the more receptive one is to those opportunities, the "luckier" one is. Prof. Richard Wiseman has found that lucky people smile twice as often as others, and engage in more eye contact than unlucky people do. Such outgoing, extroverted behavior exposes a person to more opportunities due to the increased social interaction. Similarly, open-mindedness allows one to encounter a greater number of unique prospects, and makes one more apt to embrace new opportunities.

Unsurprisingly, optimism plays a key role in luckiness, since it strongly affects luck production and luck perception. Wiseman's study shows that a lucky, optimistic person is far more satisfied with all areas of their lives than an unlucky, pessimistic person. An optimist feels lucky for spotting a silver lining, however gray the cloud… yet a pessimist will curse their luck even in the face of good fortune, because they can't see past the green grass on the other side of the fence.

Fortunately, one's mindset is entirely within one's control. An unlucky person who resolves to change their luck can become more social; they can make a conscious effort to be optimistic and make the best of any situation; and they can be more open to new ideas and experiences. In short, if you go looking for luck, you'll probably find it… or so says the professor. With any luck, he's right.

Source: KirstenMortensen.com

the superstition survey

A few years ago, Prof. Wiseman carried out a large scale study examining the psychology of superstition and luck.

4000 people took part in this a large on-line survey and were asked if they considered themselves lucky or unlucky, and whether they carried out various superstitious behaviours.

The results revealed that lucky people tend to carry out superstitious behaviours that are designed to bring them good luck – such as touching wood, crossing their fingers and carrying a lucky charm. In contrast, unlucky people believe in superstitions that bring bad luck – such as breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder or having anything to do with the number 13.

The differences are substantial – for example, 49% of lucky people regularly cross their fingers compared to just 30% of unlucky people. Likewise, just 18% of lucky people become anxious if they break a mirror, compared to 40% of unlucky people. Perhaps most important of all for Friday, 55% of unlucky people dread the number 13, compared to just 22% of lucky people.

The results support the notion that people make their own luck – lucky people carry out behaviours that make them feel good, whereas unlucky people’s superstition cause them to expect the worst.

The survey also revealed the UK’s top superstitions and the percentage of people endorsing each of them:

1: Touching wood – 86%
2: Crossing fingers – 64%
3: Walking under a ladder – 49%
4: Breaking a mirror – 34%
5: Worried about the number 13 – 25%
6: Carrying a lucky charm – 24%

These are surprisingly high figures, and indicate that superstition is alive and well in modern day Britain. Indeed, amazingly, 86% of Brits said that they carried out at least one of these superstitious behaviours. Even scientists are not immune from superstition - for example, 15% of people with a science background said that they feared the number 13.

Source: http://www.psy.herts.ac.uk

lucky quotes

Here are a few quotations about luck to live by I have found here and there. Pick your favourite!

• "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" - Seneca, Roman dramatist
• "Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke a luck" Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize
  
• "Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude and hearing the good Dhamma, this is the best good luck" - Buddha
  
• "Luck affects everything, let your hook always be cast; in the stream where you least expect it, there will be a fish" - Ovid, Roman poet
  
• "Luck never gives, it only lends" - Swedish proverb
  
• "I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often" - Brian Tracy, American television host
• "He that is afraid of bad luck will never know good" - Russian proverb
  
• "Luck can only get you so far" - Hermione, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• "I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer think he can get me five" - Stephen Wright, American writer and actor

luck and opportunities

Lucky people tend to have a somewhat relaxed view of life. They are less concerned with mundane details and more prone to look at the bigger picture. Ironically, by trying less, they see more.

Of course, being lucky isn't just about adopting a relaxed attitude toward life. Lucky people possess a whole host of opportunity-attracting traits. For example, many of them go to considerable lengths to introduce variety and change into their lives.

The theory behind this "do something different" behavior is simple. Imagine living in the center of a large apple orchard and having to collect a large basket of apples each day. At first, you will be able to find apples wherever you go. But as time goes on, it will become more difficult to find apples in the places you have visited before. But if you venture into other parts of the orchard, your chances of finding apples increase tremendously.

And it is exactly the same with being lucky. You will quickly exhaust your potential opportunities if you keep talking to the same people, taking the same route to and from work and going to the same places on holiday. But introducing new or random experiences is like visiting a new part of the orchard--suddenly you are surrounded by hundreds of apples.

Lucky people experience a large number of seemingly chance encounters. They bump into someone at a party, discover that they know people in common, and from these connections end up getting married or doing business together. Or when they need something, they always seem to know someone who knows someone who can solve their problem.

A summarized article by Richard Wiseman on forbes.com

yet another lucky blog

Net surfers and luck searchers from all over the world, welcome to my new blog! I hope you will like it and that you will let me know what you think about it.
The blogosphere is already quite saturated in terms of topics and subjects, you can already find practically anything about what you are interested in. Tips and advices on how to have a better and easier life abound on the net.

So, I was a bit hesitant in starting my own blog about such a topic that has always captivated me more and more (as a long time not-so-lucky person on his way to become a more fortunate one!). Moreover, I chose to write it in English, which is actually not my mothertongue... nevertheless, I'll be giving my best effort to make it a valuable compass in the world of self improvement, mixing my own personal thoughts with bits and pieces of carefully chosen enlightening articles and books, along with some, in my opinion, excellent material for both material and spiritual prosperity which I will share along the way.

So, shall we begin our trip into the essential and fascinating world of abundance? Welcome aboard!