Let’s talk about luck! Is there really such a thing? Why is it that some folks seem to have a predilection for predicaments, while others manage to max out their surface area to serendipity?

The idea that amulets, charms, or other mystical objects could imbue some sort of magical power to their possessor has always seemed far-fetched. However, if one simply observes the habits and the attitudes of the fortunate and versus the common behaviors of the bedeviled, one starts to notice a few things.

Folks who fortune favors don’t dwell on things in a negative way. What one might call luck is more like the macro-effect of innumerable micro-actions.

You’ve surely heard the expression “create your own luck.” It’s an easy phrase to say, but what does it mean in practice?

Remember, the universe likes long odds. Good luck can hide within bad like the layers of the nesting doll. That’s where the rubber hits the road. How you react to any given difficulty determines the degree to which good fortune will follow.

Imagine your driving down the highway late one night and your front tire blows out! You’re sitting stuck on the inside shoulder and finding out AAA won’t be there for at least two hours. Terrible luck, right?

But then, lo and behold, a nice fellow in a CalTrans truck stops to help. First he tows you to to a safe spot off the freeway, and then he manages to change your tire long before AAA has a chance to arrive! Thank your lucky stars, right?
(fun fact: this exact sequence of events just happened to a certain teen that I know.)

Some folks call it Karma. Do good things in the world, pay it forward, contribute, and find ways to serve whenever you can. Then, when the inevitable wrinkles in the quilt of life arise, you can at least remember that maybe there are more people like you in the world who are willing to help out in time of need.

There are other ways to increase your surface area to serendipity. (Do you like that metaphor? I just ran across it the other day and it stuck in my head!) Simple things like choosing to smile instead of scowl. Being the first one to initiate a conversation. Making an effort to remember names. Remembering little things so you can surprise people.

Could it be that there is an unnamed law of the universe whereby your luck quotient is determined by your attitude in the face of adversity?

Whatever the formula or however the universe chooses to behave, you have the power in your daily habits to let luck find you. Don’t be rude, exude gratitude!

Alliteratively yours till next Monday!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine