Some People Are Just Unlucky?

Don't believe the lie that some people are just unlucky. Of course random things can happen to anyone, but there are things that "unlucky" people do differently to cause their bad luck. Here is a short excerpt from "Secrets of Lucky People," which points out some of the things they do wrong.

Unlucky People Don't Learn From Mistakes

I have a friend who had $30,000 of credit card debt. The payments on this debt alone amounted to almost $1,000 per month. Then there were his other debts, for cars, snowmobiles, and other toys. He only avoided bankruptcy by tapping into the equity in his home and getting the credit card companies to accept as little as 50% of the balances as payment in full.

What did he do then? Well, with the pressure off, it soon felt comfortable to get a new credit card, and to buy a new car. Within a year or two he had a couple credit cards. Soon he was deep in debt all over again. Some people just don't learn from their mistakes. They are typically described by themselves and others as unlucky.

Oh, there are always "reasons" why doing the same things didn't work the second or third time around. But the bottom line is that if you do the same things over and over, you will likely get the same results. "Reasons" at this point are excuses, and you can make excuses or you can make your own luck, but you can't do both.

Learn from your mistakes. In fact, always assume that you have some role in the disasters or irritations that befall you, and look for what it is. Identify what you are doing that either causes your bad situations or makes them worse. Then change your approach accordingly.
Even better, learn from other's mistakes and you can avoid making many of your own. See how others create bad luck and don't do those things. That is what this lesson is about.

Unlucky People Are Too Critical

You probably know a person who is an expert in why things won't work. These people can point out the flaws in every plan. They are mostly right too, which makes them all the more dangerous to themselves and others. Their "insight" is a poison that kills dreams.

Lucky Person: "If I do this right, there is a 99% chance of success."

Unlucky Person: "So you're saying you could fail?"

It is good to think critically, to see the truth, and so reduce risk. The problem comes when a person sees only the risk and the flaws. For example, this kind of thinking only sees the fact that 80% of restaurants fail, but ignores the other 20%. If you want to move forward, see the weaknesses in your plan, but to each one add, "And this is what I can do about it..."