The Intermediary – June 2025 - Flipbook - Page 71
B RO K E R B U S I N E S S
Opinion
Mindset shift:
Time to get lucky
D
o you think some
people have all the
luck? Do you feel
lucky? How much
do you believe that
you have achieved
everything in life as a result of your
own efforts? What part has good
fortune played so far?
Luck can be seen as pure chance
– outcomes occur randomly, and
people assign meaning aer the fact.
However, psychologists have other
theories about luck and how we can
influence it, especially the roles of
curiosity and behaviour.
Curiosity has been shown to be
one of the positive emotions that
increases happiness, but it is also
central to increasing luck. It works by
exposing you to new people, ideas and
environments. It promotes lifelong
learning, ongoing development and
personal growth. Curious people
ask more questions, make more
connections and are more likely to
recognise opportunities. So, curiosity
creates the context for increased luck
by making you interact with the world
more dynamically.
Psychologist Richard Wiseman is
one of the key figures who studied luck
scientifically. He found that ‘lucky’
people tend to think differently,
behave differently, and interact with
the world in open, curious, and
resilient ways. His conclusion: luck
is largely a mindset and behaviour
paern, not magic or fate.
According to Wiseman’s research,
‘lucky’ people simply cultivate habits
that increase the likelihood of positive
outcomes. He identified four key
principles:
Maximise opportunities for
luck: Be open to new experiences.
Network widely and talk to different
people. Break your routines so as
to encounter new possibilities. Be
curious – curious people explore
more, which increases the chance of
‘lucky’ breaks.
Develop your intuition: Lucky
people tend to trust their gut –
they’re beer at recognising subtle
cues and acting on them. They also
take time to quiet their minds,
which enhances intuitive insight.
Develop positivity: Optimists
notice more opportunities. A
positive expectation can become a
self-fulfilling prophecy, encouraging
risk-taking, persistence, and
openness to feedback.
Turn bad luck into good: Lucky
people reframe bad events positively
and take constructive lessons from
them. They maintain emotional
resilience and adaptability. They see
opportunities in setbacks.
Lucky people’s behaviour doesn’t
stop there. They are likely to smile
more, engage in more conversations,
and are more socially connected. They
notice things others miss, because
they’re not overly focused or anxious.
They are willing to be more
mentally and behaviourally flexible
– they adapt quickly and try new
approaches. They take small risks
regularly, increasing the odds of
something working out. They keep a
positive mental filter – framing even
failures as learning experiences.
So, luck isn’t magic. It’s behaviour
plus mindset. You can change your
relationship with chance – and that’s
what makes all the difference.
If you want to increase your luck,
I’ve included some exercises which
will help you cultivate the mindset
and behaviours of ‘lucky’ people.
I can’t promise that you will win
the loery or land that new job, but if
you practise the following activities,
you will not only become happier and
broaden your thinking, but also give
yourself the best chance of creating
the conditions that will foster positive
outcomes, allow serendipity to happen
and create opportunities.
A ‘lucky’ person would grab the
opportunity! Good luck! ●
AVERIL LEIMON
is co-founder
of White Water Group
Exercise 1:
Journal to train your brain
Each day, write down at least
three chance opportunities you
encountered, such as meeting
someone new, stumbling across a
helpful article, or an unexpected
offer.
Reflect on these moments. What
did you do that led to those moments?
How could you be more open to them
tomorrow? This builds awareness
of opportunity and reinforces
behaviours that increase luck.
Exercise 2:
Develop curiosity
Each week, try something new – a
different route to work, a new
hobby, talk to someone outside your
usual circle. Ask at least one curious
question in every conversation.
Curious behaviour leads to
serendipitous encounters — those
‘lucky breaks’.
Exercise 3:
Visualise positive outcomes
Every morning, visualise one positive
unexpected event happening that
day. For example: “Today, I might
meet someone who helps me with my
project.” Write it down and carry that
expectation through the day. Positive
anticipation primes your brain to seek
and recognise opportunity.
Exercise 4:
Turn bad luck into
growth or opportunity
When something goes wrong, write
down what happened, what you
learned, and one possible good thing
that could come from it. Try writing
two or three alternative positive
interpretations.
June 2025 | The Intermediary
71
