Luck factor
Luck is an enigma that in the past baffled many philosophers leading to the concept being defined. Some of them refer to it is a belief that everything that happens in life is controlled by fate. These people hold the belief that it is by chance or an accident that things happen and that controlling them is outside ones control. Generally it is believed that like fate luck cannot be determined but this was later questioned by some scholars who tried to prove otherwise. Nevertheless, the term luck is globally accepted plays a very crucial role in people’s lives. The question whether people can control luck has been and remains a hotly contested argument with some arguing that luck can be learned and controlled and if it can be learned then what techniques can be used. This research paper aims at demystifying what luck is, how it works and will also discuss on whether one can manipulate it to their advantage.
According to Aurobindo (1985), the word luck is today commonly used by teachers, lawyers, professors and intellectuals who in many cases are oblivious of what it really means. Some people believe that every achievement is dependent on luck or in other words, luck influences ones success but not that it is by accident. Today many people use it without seriously thinking about its applicability and its credibility and for this reason it has become like a catch phrase. It is a word that many are accustomed to as it was still in use even before they were born and its meaning is somehow reinforced by the fact that even those who could be considered as well educated still use it even when it is not necessary (Cornman, 2009). The frequency in which the term is used has made it to widely be used and accepted as part of their logic. Many have blindly come to accept the claim that luck cannot be controlled by people and that is why it is very common to hear people refer their achievements as good luck and misfortunes as bad luck. This is a belief that led some scholars such as Brian Tracy and Richard Wiseman to challenge it (Johnstone, 2005; 16)
Challenging the belief that luck is a matter of chance is a research that was done which questioned the credibility that luck happens by chance. The fact that John Woods, a lawyer was able to escape death for three times made scholars to start questioning if luck was really innate or dependent on other factors. According to various records, John woods left his office on 39th floor at the World Trade center in 1993 after it was bombed by the terrorists and yet he was not hurt. The same case happened in September 11, 2001 when it was again attacked by terrorists and again he left the building a few seconds before it was bombed down (Aaronson and Kevin, 2008). Records also show that he was able to escape death in Lockerbie air plane explosion after it was bombed by terrorists by canceling his Pan Am flight in the last minute. These incidents of luck led a number of researches to be done whose outcomes disapproved the long held belief that some people are always able to attract good fortune while others always attract bad fortune. Some of those researches were like one that was done by Richard Wiseman, a psychologist and the other one that was done by Brian Tracy which shown that they are factors that could influence luck (Aaronson and Kevin, 2008).
Brian Tracy in his piece of work ‘The Luck Factor’ challenged the notion that luck cannot be controlled by arguing that by hard work it can be controlled and therefore it is not by accident that one succeeds or fails. He says that by one working or concentrating on the key aspects in ones life that influence them then one can take control of luck and achieve things that could not have been achieved or imagined or which others could only term as luck. “By mastering the factors that influence luck, you can increase the probability that you will be in the right place at the right time to accomplish the things that are most important to you. You’ll be more successful than ever before and people will call you lucky.” (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 264) To prove that indeed luck is controllable, Tracy supports this point by giving her own biography where he shows how he was poor and used to wear charity store clothes but later became successful. He used to do casual work but at 21 he was lucky to be employed in a Norwegian Freighter ship where he stayed for two years before he was back to his old laboring job. All this time he could not understand why some people were rich while others were poor and an answer to this was what he needed most. In a bid to understand why, he read widely on selling techniques and put into use what he learned. After applying these tactics for some time, his output dramatically increased and within a period of six months he was among the company’s top salespeople. He also read on how to manage people and with the knowledge he gained he was able to establish a multinational sales organization. After this, he went back to books again where he was able to interact with various developers leading him to volunteer in funding various institutions. He also sought to unravel the happiness enigma by reading on psychology, metaphysics and motivational books. Again in order to understand why some counties were richer than others, he read books on politics, history and economics. In short, after two decades of trying to unravel his mysteries, he put together all he had acquired in a success system that he used to help others (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 264).
According to Tracy, people can be lucky if they utilize what he referred to as the master skill. He realized that people can control luck by setting achievable or realistic goals and this was what he did when he was only 23 years. To him, by thus doing people could control their future as people are shaped by their ambitions. He also noted that people require skill’s value if they are to control their destiny. For this to be achieved, people need to have clear defined goals that should regularly be reviewed. He concludes that it is because of the fact that people do not set goals that they believe there is an external force controlling their lives called luck. (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 265)
Another scholar who successively managed to challenge the notion that luck cannot be controlled is Richard Wiseman. Wiseman was a magician who would use tricks and magic to deceive people that it was out of luck that certain things would happen. While he was doing his work he was surprised by one woman who appeared not to be surprised by his magic and the reason behind this was that she was always lucky but as a psychologist he was not convinced it was due to fate. From this incidence, he committed himself to investigate why some people are lucky while others are not and his findings led him to write his book known as ‘The Luck Factor’. In order to understand this concept well he carried a study where he brought together a good number of people who considered themselves lucky. They were given an opportunity to participate in a lottery where the results were that only a few of them won and therefore they were again divided between the lucky and the unlucky ones. This made him to conclude luck is not hereditary or innate and that everybody can be lucky if they exercise four principles he singled out namely: maximizing chances, always expecting to be lucky, looking on the bright side and listening to ones instincts (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 300). According to Wiseman, people who are lucky are able to create, identify and maximize on chances that emerge in their lives. He argues that people who are always lucky are extroverts and therefore they are able to get opportunities for example by going to parties or by visiting their friends than their introvert counterparts who stay in door and therefore have limited chances. He argues that being in a place where one is required at the right time is a good step to taking control of ones destiny. “Lucky people make a point of going out frequently and meeting new people, which increases their chances of having positive encounters; each of them could be life-changing or simply provide good work leads” (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 301). Wiseman also noted that keeping relaxed can increase ones chances of being lucky. According to him, people who are anxious and worried are very hard to see opportunities coming their way. He argues that lucky people unlike the unlucky see opportunities that are available that rather than try to see those that are not there. Again according to Wiseman, keeping hope alive that one can win keeps one motivated and gives one courage to keep trying to win and hence the chances of winning becomes high and while doing so, one should always look on the bright side. According to Wiseman (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 301) the fact that lucky people are always hopeful that something good might turn up keeps them going even after they fail a number of times unlike the unlucky ones who give up after they hit the first obstacle. Being pessimistic that one cannot win kills motivation and therefore one cannot look for other ways to improve especially when one blames everything on misfortunes or luck. According to a research that was done by Wiseman, people who are lucky have higher expectations that they will achieve something than those that do not expect or hope to win (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 302).
Lastly according to Wiseman (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 302) lucky people “have a healthy relationship with their unconscious mind.” This helps them to trust their intuitions that decisions they are making are the right ones and by thus doing they are able to try something that they would never have tried. He says that people refer to themselves as unlucky because they do not trust their intuitions. According to Wiseman people who succeed in business trust their intuitions especially when they tell them that a certain decision is bad or that a business partner should not be trusted. Wiseman pointed out a way through which one can boost their reliance on intuitions for example he said that taking medications and performing daily rituals can help. He also says that not that people who are lucky are endowed with a talent that enables them to do this but it is through their effort that they cultivate it. To Wiseman everyone whether lucky or unlucky can have it by having contemplative thoughts or by meditating (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 303).
There are also those who believe that it is possible to turn bad luck into good luck but this can only happen to people who view luck as nothing more than a mere perception that is if people can accept that the chances of having either bad luck or good luck are half-half. To De Lys (2009), according to these people when one experiences a bad luck they should not keep quiet but instead they should share their problem with others so that they can be helped as it is only by doing that good luck can be lured back. To these people, lucky people are able to see a silver lining in whatever happens to them be it positive or negative and as a result these experiences turn to them to be learning opportunities unlike to the unlucky ones who view this as fate because generally they are superstitious. By having this kind of thoughts they deny themselves opportunities for analyzing and correcting their mistakes (Ambegaokar, 1996).
Many people do not take time to know the real meaning of luck. Drawing conclusion from the above research findings, it is right to say that luck is not a matter of chance as many believe. Researches that were done refuted the claim that luck is innate in that that it can be learned or manipulated using various techniques. One research that helped to show that the claim that luck is beyond control was one that was done by Richard Wiseman where he put together a number of people who claimed to be lucky and allowed them to participate in a lottery but only a few won something. If in deed they were innately lucky then all of them could have won but unfortunately only a few of them did thereby dividing the ones lucky people into two groups; lucky and the unlucky. With the help of these findings he came to conclude that there are four principles that can help one to be lucky a claim that was supported by a similar research that was done by Bruce Tracy.
According to Aurobindo (1985), the word luck is today commonly used by teachers, lawyers, professors and intellectuals who in many cases are oblivious of what it really means. Some people believe that every achievement is dependent on luck or in other words, luck influences ones success but not that it is by accident. Today many people use it without seriously thinking about its applicability and its credibility and for this reason it has become like a catch phrase. It is a word that many are accustomed to as it was still in use even before they were born and its meaning is somehow reinforced by the fact that even those who could be considered as well educated still use it even when it is not necessary (Cornman, 2009). The frequency in which the term is used has made it to widely be used and accepted as part of their logic. Many have blindly come to accept the claim that luck cannot be controlled by people and that is why it is very common to hear people refer their achievements as good luck and misfortunes as bad luck. This is a belief that led some scholars such as Brian Tracy and Richard Wiseman to challenge it (Johnstone, 2005; 16)
Challenging the belief that luck is a matter of chance is a research that was done which questioned the credibility that luck happens by chance. The fact that John Woods, a lawyer was able to escape death for three times made scholars to start questioning if luck was really innate or dependent on other factors. According to various records, John woods left his office on 39th floor at the World Trade center in 1993 after it was bombed by the terrorists and yet he was not hurt. The same case happened in September 11, 2001 when it was again attacked by terrorists and again he left the building a few seconds before it was bombed down (Aaronson and Kevin, 2008). Records also show that he was able to escape death in Lockerbie air plane explosion after it was bombed by terrorists by canceling his Pan Am flight in the last minute. These incidents of luck led a number of researches to be done whose outcomes disapproved the long held belief that some people are always able to attract good fortune while others always attract bad fortune. Some of those researches were like one that was done by Richard Wiseman, a psychologist and the other one that was done by Brian Tracy which shown that they are factors that could influence luck (Aaronson and Kevin, 2008).
Brian Tracy in his piece of work ‘The Luck Factor’ challenged the notion that luck cannot be controlled by arguing that by hard work it can be controlled and therefore it is not by accident that one succeeds or fails. He says that by one working or concentrating on the key aspects in ones life that influence them then one can take control of luck and achieve things that could not have been achieved or imagined or which others could only term as luck. “By mastering the factors that influence luck, you can increase the probability that you will be in the right place at the right time to accomplish the things that are most important to you. You’ll be more successful than ever before and people will call you lucky.” (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 264) To prove that indeed luck is controllable, Tracy supports this point by giving her own biography where he shows how he was poor and used to wear charity store clothes but later became successful. He used to do casual work but at 21 he was lucky to be employed in a Norwegian Freighter ship where he stayed for two years before he was back to his old laboring job. All this time he could not understand why some people were rich while others were poor and an answer to this was what he needed most. In a bid to understand why, he read widely on selling techniques and put into use what he learned. After applying these tactics for some time, his output dramatically increased and within a period of six months he was among the company’s top salespeople. He also read on how to manage people and with the knowledge he gained he was able to establish a multinational sales organization. After this, he went back to books again where he was able to interact with various developers leading him to volunteer in funding various institutions. He also sought to unravel the happiness enigma by reading on psychology, metaphysics and motivational books. Again in order to understand why some counties were richer than others, he read books on politics, history and economics. In short, after two decades of trying to unravel his mysteries, he put together all he had acquired in a success system that he used to help others (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 264).
According to Tracy, people can be lucky if they utilize what he referred to as the master skill. He realized that people can control luck by setting achievable or realistic goals and this was what he did when he was only 23 years. To him, by thus doing people could control their future as people are shaped by their ambitions. He also noted that people require skill’s value if they are to control their destiny. For this to be achieved, people need to have clear defined goals that should regularly be reviewed. He concludes that it is because of the fact that people do not set goals that they believe there is an external force controlling their lives called luck. (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 265)
Another scholar who successively managed to challenge the notion that luck cannot be controlled is Richard Wiseman. Wiseman was a magician who would use tricks and magic to deceive people that it was out of luck that certain things would happen. While he was doing his work he was surprised by one woman who appeared not to be surprised by his magic and the reason behind this was that she was always lucky but as a psychologist he was not convinced it was due to fate. From this incidence, he committed himself to investigate why some people are lucky while others are not and his findings led him to write his book known as ‘The Luck Factor’. In order to understand this concept well he carried a study where he brought together a good number of people who considered themselves lucky. They were given an opportunity to participate in a lottery where the results were that only a few of them won and therefore they were again divided between the lucky and the unlucky ones. This made him to conclude luck is not hereditary or innate and that everybody can be lucky if they exercise four principles he singled out namely: maximizing chances, always expecting to be lucky, looking on the bright side and listening to ones instincts (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 300). According to Wiseman, people who are lucky are able to create, identify and maximize on chances that emerge in their lives. He argues that people who are always lucky are extroverts and therefore they are able to get opportunities for example by going to parties or by visiting their friends than their introvert counterparts who stay in door and therefore have limited chances. He argues that being in a place where one is required at the right time is a good step to taking control of ones destiny. “Lucky people make a point of going out frequently and meeting new people, which increases their chances of having positive encounters; each of them could be life-changing or simply provide good work leads” (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 301). Wiseman also noted that keeping relaxed can increase ones chances of being lucky. According to him, people who are anxious and worried are very hard to see opportunities coming their way. He argues that lucky people unlike the unlucky see opportunities that are available that rather than try to see those that are not there. Again according to Wiseman, keeping hope alive that one can win keeps one motivated and gives one courage to keep trying to win and hence the chances of winning becomes high and while doing so, one should always look on the bright side. According to Wiseman (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 301) the fact that lucky people are always hopeful that something good might turn up keeps them going even after they fail a number of times unlike the unlucky ones who give up after they hit the first obstacle. Being pessimistic that one cannot win kills motivation and therefore one cannot look for other ways to improve especially when one blames everything on misfortunes or luck. According to a research that was done by Wiseman, people who are lucky have higher expectations that they will achieve something than those that do not expect or hope to win (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 302).
Lastly according to Wiseman (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 302) lucky people “have a healthy relationship with their unconscious mind.” This helps them to trust their intuitions that decisions they are making are the right ones and by thus doing they are able to try something that they would never have tried. He says that people refer to themselves as unlucky because they do not trust their intuitions. According to Wiseman people who succeed in business trust their intuitions especially when they tell them that a certain decision is bad or that a business partner should not be trusted. Wiseman pointed out a way through which one can boost their reliance on intuitions for example he said that taking medications and performing daily rituals can help. He also says that not that people who are lucky are endowed with a talent that enables them to do this but it is through their effort that they cultivate it. To Wiseman everyone whether lucky or unlucky can have it by having contemplative thoughts or by meditating (Butler-Bowdon, 2004; 303).
There are also those who believe that it is possible to turn bad luck into good luck but this can only happen to people who view luck as nothing more than a mere perception that is if people can accept that the chances of having either bad luck or good luck are half-half. To De Lys (2009), according to these people when one experiences a bad luck they should not keep quiet but instead they should share their problem with others so that they can be helped as it is only by doing that good luck can be lured back. To these people, lucky people are able to see a silver lining in whatever happens to them be it positive or negative and as a result these experiences turn to them to be learning opportunities unlike to the unlucky ones who view this as fate because generally they are superstitious. By having this kind of thoughts they deny themselves opportunities for analyzing and correcting their mistakes (Ambegaokar, 1996).
Many people do not take time to know the real meaning of luck. Drawing conclusion from the above research findings, it is right to say that luck is not a matter of chance as many believe. Researches that were done refuted the claim that luck is innate in that that it can be learned or manipulated using various techniques. One research that helped to show that the claim that luck is beyond control was one that was done by Richard Wiseman where he put together a number of people who claimed to be lucky and allowed them to participate in a lottery but only a few won something. If in deed they were innately lucky then all of them could have won but unfortunately only a few of them did thereby dividing the ones lucky people into two groups; lucky and the unlucky. With the help of these findings he came to conclude that there are four principles that can help one to be lucky a claim that was supported by a similar research that was done by Bruce Tracy.
Categories:
Luck,
Luck factor
0 коммент.:
Отправить комментарий