Are you lucky in life? (Really, do you feel like you're a lucky person?) I don't mean that you have a perfect life, but do things just seem to always work out for you? Do seemingly negative situations end up turning into something better? Do great opportunities simply fall into your lap? Do you meet (attract) the right people in your life? If so, then you are truly a lucky person, if not, you can quickly increase your good fortune.

I hadn't thought much about luck until a few days ago, I was at a coffee shop with a buddy of mine. Sitting deep in an overstuffed blue chair, I listened to him talk about how lucky my life is. I never really thought about it before, but he was right. I put down my cinnamon scented coffee and nested back into my chair, taking in and trying to digest his compliments.

Later when I mentioned that I need to find a topic for my newsletter this month, he immediately said, ?Why don't you write about how to be a lucky person!? I chuckled to myself, because I would have never thought about that in a million years, but it intuitively felt so right. I knew that the Universe had just winked at me with a confirmation.

He said, ?goodbye?, gave me a hug and left his empty ceramic cup still dripping with foam next to my chair. All around me, the coffee shop conversations were mumbling in my ears. I quietly sank deeper into my chair and started to type. I must have been in a trance, because with only one refill the article poured out of my Soul and onto my laptop. I wrote the first draft in less than two hours.

Whether you believe you are lucky or not, most people think that luck is not real or at best a random activity that can't be chosen or developed. You might think that people stumble into good things by accident. How then do you explain when a friend calls you at the last minute with free tickets to a sold out show you've been dying to see? Or when you turn around to quickly drive back home, because you ?forgot something? and a long lost friend is standing at your door, but had no way to contact you except to stop by and hope you'd be home. Is this coincidence or something much more magical?

I believe becoming a lucky person is easy when you understand the characteristics of these blessed people. Imagine for a moment that luck isn't random after all! There is an attitudinal structure underlying every fortunate human being. And anyone who is wiling to change their mental-emotional habits can increase their good fortune and become lucky. Years ago, I read an article about some University research from England. The studied showed what naturally lucky individuals have in common with each other. They discovered a set of four qualities that set them apart from the ?unlucky?. The cool thing is that people who developed these attitudinal qualities started to increase their own good fortune very quickly!

Four Qualities of Lucky People

1. Lucky people are mindful and present. They pay attention to the present moment and aren't preoccupied thinking about the past (disappointment) or fearing the future (worry). They naturally choose to live in the present moment. This allows them to notice and seize new opportunities, instead of being distracted, confused or simply unaware.

2. They value their ?intuition? as much as ?logic and reason?. They tend to look at both the ?bigger picture? and also the details of the ?little picture? in their lives. They're open to an intuitive sense of possibilities (bigger picture) and how it can fit into their current situation (little picture). They are neither stuck in the details nor dreaming about the future. Instead, they simultaneously bring these two perceptions (awareness of the big and little picture) the possibilities and on the one hand, the actuality of their lives, on the other, together. This offers them a way to set goals and make a plan that works.

3. Lucky people have a positive relationship with the future. They are hopeful about the unknown (future) instead of being fearful. Even though they don't have all the answers, they're naturally optimistic and open. They refuse to fantasize about what could go wrong and instead focus on ?what can go right?. They feel positive even when things appear to be negative. Simply put? they don't let negativity get in the way of their plans and dreams.

4. They are self empowered and take responsibility. They refuse to hang out in feelings of powerlessness, apathy or self-pity. They don't believe that life happens to them nor are they a victim of circumstances. They know that what they think and feel about themselves and the future matters. They believe that opportunities are a direct result of their attitude, thoughts, feelings and actions. Simply put, they embrace their inner power and choose to live their lives with responsibility.

The study also revealed that most lucky people had fairly large social circles. They make friends easily and are socially connected to their community. They're naturally outgoing because they really enjoy people and tend to be non-judgmental. They get involved with their community. They believe that people are inherently good, beautiful and caring, which tends to make them popular individuals.

Four Secrets to Increase Your Luck and Good Fortune:

1) Embrace and accept yourself and your life, just the way it is. The good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly-accept everything that is happening in your life, warts and all. Stop fighting yourself and make a decision instead to accept things the way they are instead of longing for it to be different. Acceptance creates the space for change and healing to occur. You'll feel more comfortable when you accept yourself and begin to naturally relax in social situations. A quick method to do this is to choose to believe that the world is a friendly place. It is here to support you and your dreams. Unlucky people believe the world is ?out to get them.? Which world is true? Whatever world you choose to believe in will be true for you! Both worlds are possible but only one will become your reality. Choose wisely.

2) Listen to your intuition and open your heart to feel greater intimacy. There is much more happening around you than you can ever grasp in your conscious mind. Your mind filters out over 50% of the experiences happening to you right now. However, beneath your conscious awareness your subconscious is continuously picking up clues about your future and the possibilities that are there. This is called your intuition. When you blend intuition with intimacy, you will experience a deeper connection with yourself and others. You'll know what decisions to make and why. You'll be more wise and understanding. Opening your heart will improve your intuition and deepen your sense of purpose. This naturally leads toward increasing your opportunities for luck and expanding good fortune.

3 Avoid feeling sorry for your self. Admit the truth- you are powerful. Embrace a resilient positive attitude about your self and your life. You know this and have done it before. Lemons can be made into lemonade when you change your attitude. You can learn something about yourself from the worst disaster. If you'll begin looking for the silver lining in the dark clouds of your life, your luck will improve rapidly. What you focus on expands. So focus on being powerful and seek the good in all situations.

4. Meditate regularly. If there is one activity I had to choose that I believed cultivated good fortune and luck, it would have to be meditation. Looking back on my life, I now realize that learning to meditate as a teenager was a major turning point in my life. It changed everything dramatically. My good fortune accelerated once I learned to relax and meditate on a regular basis. I fully believe that meditation opens the door to a fortunate and lucky life.

In most studies, I've read on psychological well being, those who meditate regularly (at least three times weekly) are less nervous, anxious, depressed, and much less irritable, controlling, or inhibited. They are, overall, more sociable and self-confident, and felt positive about themselves and the future. They tend to be emotionally stable and self-reliant individuals, when compared to the non-meditators in the study.

I hope you'll re-read this article many times and let the truth contained within it, sink deep into your subconscious mind. This will help change your attitude and attract more opportunities and greater good fortune in your life.

Copyright (c) 2008 Circle of Light Publishing