How to Get Lucky

Happy St Patrick’s Day my fashionable friends! Hope your anti-pinch campaign is in full swing. I’m taking a quick detour away from fashion today to talk luck. Do you have that friend who you feel like always gets the cool stuff, meets the fun people, goes to the cool places, and things just happen for them? Are you that friend? I want to be that person and sometimes I am lucky enough to be. Tips on how to be that person more often after the jump!

So, I’m not talking about this kind of “get lucky.” You’re welcome for ear-worming you. ;-)

I’m talking about making things happen – moving things forward to accomplish your goals and dreams, being in the right place at the right time and even scoring a great seat, deal, and prize along the way.  I believe in God’s hand in our lives and I also believe we’re responsible for action. Here are some things that have worked for me and I know they will work for you as well!

How to Get Lucky

Ask

This is one of the first steps in negotiating and one of the first steps in our quests to get lucky. People don’t know what you want unless you tell them. It could be as simple as asking for a deal on a purchase and as nerve-wrecking as a marriage proposal.

Bonus Tip: The more specific you can be the better, especially when you apply this to networking. If you’ve been specific, people know exactly how to help or who to connect you with that can help.

Say Yes

It sounds like a simple thing but you could be shutting things down from the beginning without even realizing it. I’m often amazed at how many people miss some fun things because they aren’t willing to say yes and try something new or break their usual routine. I don’t always know every single detail of what I’m saying yes to – whether it’s a new band we’re going to see, or heck a marriage conference – but I know I can experience far more with yes than with a no.

We often tell ourselves, “they are probably going to turn me down”, or “I won’t be as good as someone else”… we are the ones holding ourselves back. Let’s switch it up! Let’s get ourselves past the first hurdle – ourselves and say yes.

I became a regular contributor on Great Day Houston because I said yes to being an audience member when my Toastmasters group was plugging the organization on air. There were of course several steps between this first yes and my first appearance but this first yes set the wheels in motion.

Show Up

The logical next step, right? You’ve taken the initial metaphorical leap and said yes, now show up! It’s a lot easier to say yes than it is to show up which is why this is where you really see who is willing to expand their world and who is content with the smaller version.

It’s hard to be at the right place at the right time if you don’t go anywhere. You never know what will happen, who you will meet, or what you will win.

Great example, my husband and I attended a marriage conference recently and the hosts challenged us to make them laugh via Twitter. Whoever got the best laugh, won a year subscription to their marriage ministry resources (a great prize!). My husband said something funny at the break so I tweeted it to the hosts. I had a moment of the “inner critic” – this isn’t going to be funny, etc., etc. but I showed up (virtually) anyway. And it turns out that out of 100 people I was the only one who did. So we won! Not a bad reward for just showing up.

Social Grace Tip: If you’ve said yes to a party or event and your plans have changed, which of course happens, let the host know as soon as possible! As a person who’s thrown a lot of parties (and attended more), I’m always surprised that people say yes and then don’t show up. Be courteous to your host!

How do you get lucky? I’d love to hear your stories! Comment below or jump over to Instagram and Facebook to share!