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We used to believe that luck is something elusive and very selective. Supposedly some of us are naturally luckier than others. But psychologists believe that the ability to draw winning tickets can be developed.
Some believe in luck and follow a complex system of rules and rituals to attract and keep it. Someone, on the contrary, believes only in the results of conscious efforts, and considers luck to be superstition. But there is also a third approach. Its supporters believe that luck does not exist as an independent, separate force from us. The point is in ourselves: when we purposefully think about something, everything that is consonant with our thoughts, itself falls into our field of vision. The idea of serendipity is based on this.
The main principle of serendipity is to feel, to catch a successful turn of events
The word itself was coined in the XNUMXth century by Horace Walpool. “He used it to describe the art of discovery that feeds on itself,” explains Sylvie Satellan, cultural scientist and author of Serendipity – From Fairy Tale to Concept. “The name comes from the fairy tale “Three Princes of Serendip,” in which three brothers were able to correctly describe the signs of a lost camel from one meager footprint thanks to their insight.”
How to know the lucky one
We have all had situations in our life when luck turned to face us. But can we say that luck favors some of us more than others? “A study by the University of Hertfordshire in the UK highlighted traits that are characteristic of such “lucky ones,” says Eric Tieri, author of The Little Book of Luck.
Here’s what makes these people different:
They tend to accept what happens to them as a learning experience and see people and events as opportunities for development.
They listen to their intuition and act without delay.
They are optimists and never quit what they start, even if the chances of success are small.
They can be flexible and learn from their mistakes.
5 Keys to Serendipity
State your intent
To set up an internal radar, you need to set yourself a clear goal or focus on a specific desire: find your way, meet “your” person, get a new job … When all our senses, like a locator, are tuned to capture the right information, we will begin to notice that the right people and options are close by. At the same time, don’t shut yourself off from everything «irrelevant»: sometimes the best ideas come «from the back door.»
Be open to novelty
To see good opportunities, you need to keep your mind open. To do this, you need to constantly push yourself out of the usual circle of norms and concepts, question the beliefs that limit us. For example, if you are faced with a problem, don’t be afraid to step back, look at it from a different angle, to expand the field of possibilities. Sometimes, to get out of the impasse, you need to put the situation in a different context and realize the limits of your power over it.
Trust your intuition
We try to curb intuition in the name of acting rationally. This leads to the fact that we miss important information and do not notice hidden messages. To restore contact with intuition means to accept the magic that surrounds us, to see the extraordinary within the ordinary. Practice clear mind meditation — it helps you tune into your own sensations and sharpen your perceptions.
Don’t fall into fatalism
There is an old Japanese saying that it is pointless to shoot an arrow without a target, but it is also unwise to use all the arrows on one target. If we fail, we close only one opportunity for ourselves. But if we do not preserve our strength and do not look around from time to time, failure can weaken us and deprive us of will.
Don’t shy away from luck
Even if we cannot predict when our chance will come, we can create the conditions for it to appear. Let go of yourself, accept what is happening to you, live in the present moment, waiting for a miracle. Instead of resisting, forcing yourself or obsessing over something, look at the world with open eyes and feel.