Get Lucky! Make Your Own Luck
A Chinese proverb states, “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.”
In slow times, luck may seem to run dry, while others seem to get all the luck. Some may bemoan that it’s the lucky ones who get the gigs. Not so, the "lucky" ones protest. Hard work, savvy marketing, good customer service (which leads both to more work and new business referrals) and simply being in the right place at the right time must converge to create "luck."
How can you grow a bumper crop of luck? Create a nurturing environment for opportunity to sprout. In a recent issue of Fast Company magazine, writer Dan Pink offered these four steps to improving your luck: Grab Chance Opportunities by creating and realizing chances as they present themselves; Listen to Your Gut by trusting your intuition; Turn Lemons into Lemonade by converting bad events into opportunities; and Be an Optimist.
A few more tactics: Hit the pavement and make "friends." People like doing business with those they know, not strangers. Build your network of prospects by attending events, becoming an ally with others, and expanding your sphere of influence. Meet with your Mastermind group. Place yourself where opportunity occurs.
As famed business strategist (and pretty good comic) Milton Berle once said, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” In other words, you have to make your own luck.
