The Guide on How to Get Lucky in Honor of St. Patricks Day

In 2019, a North Carolina man won $344.6 million in the Powerball jackpot. His winnings were the largest in the state’s history. Most would consider this man lucky, as according to CNBC, the odds of ever claiming that elusive prize is 1 in 292,201,338. Luck, may not be just a strange happening, but rather a culmination of habits and attitudes. Researcher Richard Wiseman published his findings on luck in a 2003 journal called the Skeptical Inquirer, where he discovered “lucky people” generate their own luck. Wiseman noted, “[Lucky people] are skilled at creating and noticing opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.” Just like knocking on wood, or crossing your fingers, these superstitions might actually be effective according to an article from Popular Science. Similar to the way athletes, maintain certain rituals before a game – having a “lucky ball” or “lucky” item of clothing, may indeed make for better performance. These items or acts have proved effective once before and become utilized repeatedly until the absence of them creates diminished results. In short, you can create your own luck, but being open and responsive to opportunities is the key to harnessing that luck. So, keep crossing your fingers because your lucky jackpot is closer than you think. Still interested? Watch this Ted Talk. -Written by Sarah Teague