Some people believe there is no such thing as good luck or bad luck. Other people feel there is luck, but it’s only bad for them. They are the ones who believe, if it weren’t for bad luck, they’d have no luck at all. The famous writer Mark Twain once said ... “Persons who think there is no such thing as luck good or bad are entitled to their opinion, although I think they ought to be shot for it.”

What if I told you that you could make yourself LUCKY … would you believe me? What if I told you that “Being Superstitious” was actually performance enhancing … would you think I was nuts? Dr. Richard Wiseman conducted a scientific study of the “Lucky Mind,” and proved that people who think they are lucky … really are luckier.

The Pygmalion Effect is the phenomenon whereby higher expectations lead to an increase in performance. This phenomenon has been proven over-and-over again in scientific studies, that positive expectations influence performance positively, and negative expectations influence performance negatively, yet so few people, parents, coaches, trainers, managers and leaders take advantage of it. There is no magic involved, just an attitude of having higher expectations for those who work for you (or with you) will lead to better results.

The “Pygmalion Effect” and “Feeling Lucky” have a great deal in common. Consider the following: FACT - higher expectations lead to an increase in performance (the Pygmalion Effect). FACT - Positive, superstitious beliefs (the Feeling Lucky Effect) can boost people's confidence, which in turn improves performance; they believe luck is on their side, so their positive attitude helps to make them perform better.

So, being superstitious can be good for you. Wearing your lucky socks can actually improve your performance because you BELIEVE they are LUCKY for you. Psychologists would term this Self-Deception ... which would seem to be bad for you, but on the contrary, it actually is very good for you. Self-Deception enhances motivation and performance during competitive tasks because you BELIEVE you are lucky… the deception of believing you are lucky makes you better. In fact, people with a lucky charm performed significantly better than did the people who had none. That's right, having a lucky charm will make you perform better just because you BELIEVE luck is on your side.

The experts have found that whatever increases our self-confidence can make us "luckier." What else works? Expect good fortune: Lucky people are certain that the future is going to be full of good fortune. These expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies by helping lucky people persist in the face of failure; it’s all about being in the right state of mind.

Therefore, if you want to be more successful start every project with an expectation of a positive outcome, believe in yourself, and believe that fate (luck) is on your side. But, never forget, luck is also a matter of when a prepared person crosses paths with opportunity. If you want to be lucky, PREPARE, then ALWAYS BELIEVE you’re lucky and watch your LUCK IMPROVE!