by Tiffany Hathorn

I don’t believe in luck.

I do believe that good and unexpected things can happen in our lives. I also believe that some people experience these types of things more frequently than others. And when they do, they are often deemed as being lucky or having some type of good luck charm.

However, I think that luck is really a combination of certain factors: having a positive mindset, putting yourself out there (i.e. being proactive), and keeping an eye open for opportunities.  In other words, I don’t think that luck is something that happens TO us. I think that it is something that we can attract and that we can pursue. I believe that we can create our own luck.

Below are 5 ways that I personally believe we can create our own luck.

Be bold!

One of my friends is an amazing blogger/vlogger. Over the past few months, she has carved out a nice income for her little family by starting her own custom printables business. We were talking a few days ago and she mentioned that she was going to reach out to some random people on Pinterest whose boards she had stumbled upon and offer her services to them. She was going to offer to create printables for them that she felt would add to their content and generate more traffic for them. When she told me that, I thought to myself “Fortune favors the bold”. I told her as much. I admire her ability to really put herself out there, think outside of the box, and go after what she wants. Someone on the outside looking at her runaway success with her printable business may think that she just lucked out. However, I know that the truth is that she works hard, does her research, and is bold in her actions. And those things pay off in the form of new clients that are rabid fans of her work.

Network! Network! Network!

Seriously. The more people you know and engage with, the wider your circle becomes. The wider your circle, the higher your chances of coming across some really cool opportunities. I could think that I was lucky for having some of the opportunities that I have had over the past year, but the truth is that sometimes knowing the right people really can open up doors for you.

Be a positive person

You could network your entire life, but if you are someone that no one wants to be around, chances are when they have an opportunity to offer, they’re not going to come to you. However, if you are someone that focuses on positivity, is friendly (if not a social butterfly), and who people generally enjoy talking to/being around, you are much more likely to find yourself on the receiving end of good vibes and amazing opportunities.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled

Sometimes an amazing opportunity could be sitting right in front of you. However, if you are stuck in your own little bubble, not paying attention, you may miss out. Again, this doesn’t mean that you have to be a social butterfly. But it does help to be aware of what is going on around you.

Be Open and Flexible

I think that the worst thing you can do if you are trying to create your own luck is to limit yourself. Be open to new things. It’s okay to be focused, but don’t have a focus that is so narrow that you aren’t aware of or open to things that fall outside of your line of view. Sometimes it is the things that we wouldn’t normally try that end up opening up an entire beautiful world of possibilities for us.

What do you think? Is luck something that merely happens or can we guide it?

Tiffany Hathorn has been blogging since the summer of 2010. She got started as a way to document her pregnancy and her life as a first-time mother. Since then, her blog has transformed into a chronicle of her life as a single WAHM. She blogs about raising her son solo, working from home, and her journey as a homeschooling mom. If you would like to follow Tiffany, you may do so by subscribing to her blog or liking her fan page.

Twitter: @tiffanyhathorn