I am lucky. I believe in luck. BUT My success did not come from luck.

You see, what we do every day lays the groundwork for our luck in many ways. When we achieve our goals, the actions we take and habits we create inform elevated versions of ourselves. From that place luck can spring eternal.

Before we talk about the practical steps to setting ourselves up for success and luck, let’s take a look at what we’re searching for in the first place. 

OH, WHAT A FEELING

Right now, you may be anticipating what you expect to feel when you achieve your goal. Life will be better when you get there. You can already see yourself basking in the sunlight of your personal achievement. 

I want to give you an insider’s secret. You don’t have to get to the finish line to start feeling the way you expect to feel when you reach the goal. We set goals, yes, because we have things we want to achieve in our lifetime but we really set them because we are going after the feeling we expect to have when we achieve those goals. 

Simply put, our thoughts are what drive our feelings and emotions and you are in control of your thoughts. Yes, you are in control of your feelings, right now, at this moment.

Your first action step is to get clear on the feelings that your end goal will bring, then start to bring those feelings into your here and now. 

For example, do you think hitting a certain revenue goal will make you feel abundant and less concerned about paying your bills? Do you want to make more income so you can be more generous? How can you start to practice those feelings of generosity and abundance today? What do you need to think to become more generous? When you are abundant what thoughts are you thinking as you fall asleep at night? 

When you start thinking the thoughts that make you feel the emotions of your desires you are really on to something because you’ve tapped into the energy of flow, and that will get you to your goal so much faster. 

MEET THE NEW YOU

92% of people don’t reach their goals. Why? Because it’s hard work. Part of that hard work is becoming a new person. The person who climbs Mt Everest is not the same person who can currently hike a hill. Years ago I did a triathlon — I always was last as in physical education. I wasn’t an athlete… to finish a triathlon I had to become a new version of myself. The version of me who was a triathlete.
Since I had never done a triathlon, nor was I anything close to an athlete I had no past experience to pull from. So I had to sit down and get clear on what the version of me who had completed a triathlon looked like and even more importantly felt like. 

Feelings of accomplishment, fitness, strength, and confidence came to mind. Tapping into what I had to think and do to feel these feelings gave me a roadmap to who I needed to become before I ever crossed the finish line. 

You become the person who has achieved the goal while you’re in the process of getting to your goal.  

Understanding the feeling you want and visualizing the person you need to become sets a rock solid foundation for the tactical part of reaching your goals. Not having this foundation in place is the difference between goal achievers and goal wishers.

“Luck is when an opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it.” – Denzel Washington

YES, YOU NEED NEW HABITS 

To become the new version of you, you need to put new habits into place. Here’s why… 

95% of our day is run by our subconscious mind. 95%! This means, for the most mindful person, only 5% of our day is actually run through our prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain where we do thought work. The other 95%? You guessed it, it comes from your habits. 

So when you want to create sustainable change in your life, you set yourself up for success by rewiring that change into your habits.

5 TRICKS TO HELP YOU CREATE NEW HABITS 

#1. Get super specific about what you want to do.  

Habits need clarity and routine. To form a new habit, you need to get detailed on what that habit looks like and how you will execute it. 

Let’s take a look at the difference:

• Unclear habit without a routine: “I need to spend time on LinkedIn to help build my business.” 
• Clear habit with a routine: “On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, right after lunch, I’m going to spend 30 minutes on LinkedIn.” Then you schedule this habit right into your calendar. 

#2. Habits instill when they are comorbid.

Everyone talks about brushing your teeth and putting your workout clothes next to your toothbrush! But how many things can you put next to your toothbrush?! 

To spare your toothbrush think about other habits you can use to connect your new habit. 

• Eating lunch 
• Getting dressed 
• Taking a shower 
• Cleaning the house 
• Cooking dinner 

Remember, you already have so many subconscious day-to-day habits… get creative and think about where you can leverage the habits you already have in place. 

#3. Habits that require PHYSICAL movement are much easier to embed.

It’s so much easier to set a new habit by doing something versus desperately trying to NOT do something. Consider this, going for a walk is much easier than willing yourself to not snack after dinner.
Your new habit doesn’t have to involve an all out workout, but think about how you can create new physical cues around something. Maybe after dinner you boil water for a cup of tea instead of eating cookies.

#4. Incorporating your senses makes it easier to rewire new habits.

I’m a full blown chocoholic. I seriously did not think that I could go a day without eating it. When I found myself eating too much of it, I knew I had to bring in the habit reinforcements. I found a cinnamon tea that I love. Smelling and tasting this tea has replaced my need for chocolate every day. A miracle, indeed. 

#5. Lower the barrier of entry for your new habit. 

Simply put, set yourself up for success. Want to cut down the amount of time you spend on social media? Delete the app from your phone. This will also kick up your awareness factor.
When you are aware of what you are or aren’t doing, you are using the 5% of your brain that can make a thoughtful decision versus relying on the 95% of your brain that makes decisions based on your subconscious.

CELEBRATE YOUR LUCK!

Knowing that you have the ability to create your own success and yes luck is life changing. However, let’s not underestimate all of your hard work. Be sure to celebrate your success and luck.