Luck markers 5 and 6
Luck maker 5: Persevere
Sometimes events in our lives are neither expected nor planned, and they may contain a measure of pain, but those who create their own luck simply stick with it. All of the examples I've shown -- Marta, Margaret, RoAne and my mother -- illustrate that not giving up, keeping your eye on the future and looking for ways to minimize and even capitalize on the damage are all key strategies in creating luck. Marta, for example, could have been overwhelmed by the big picture. But in taking it one day at a time she not only built a life that was safe for herself and her child but also one with meaning, joy and dreams fulfilled. "Never, never give up," is her passionate advice. "If you never give up, you can move forward one baby step at a time."
Luck maker 6: See the silver lining
My mother remembers clearly when Volendam, the ship she and her family boarded in Amsterdam, landed in Halifax. The nine-day journey had been rough, with storms, rough seas, overcrowding and illness. Yet my mother was filled with excitement at the prospect of discovering a new land. In spite of the dark night, lights shone from houses near the harbour, and my mother saw them as welcoming.
Without that spirit of optimism, how can you be willing to take risks, stay with your goals for the long haul and keep up the confidence it takes to see the opportunity in any situation, even a setback?
If you've been looking through clouds, seeing a silver lining means you've spotted the potential for luck. And as for 2007, don't just wonder what might be waiting around the corner. Go and find out.
*Name has been changed.
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