James Smith’s Info Serv

There are two ways to improve the good luck / bad luck ratio in your life. One is to take steps to do those things that lead to more good luck. The other is to stop doing the things that cause bad luck. This lesson is about the latter. It is an examination of the actions, habits and thinking of unlucky people, so that you can learn what to avoid.

Six Things That Cause Bad Luck

1. Blaming. Blaming others - even when it is justified - is one of the most de-motivating things you can do. It puts things outside of your control and so things tend to “happen” to you even more - and sometimes these are bad things. It is fine to acknowledge that someone shares some blame for a situation, but then follow that immediately by asking yourself, “What can I do differently next time?” Put the control back in your hands.

2. Making Excuses. Really just another type of blaming, this bad-luck habit is often more subtle. For example, a real estate agent says, “I can’t sell enough homes because I don’t have the contacts that others have.” This might be 100% accurate. The solution, though - developing more contacts - is then ignored, because the real reason to say this was to justify his unsuccessful habits. Saying, “I know I can sell more homes by meeting more people and making more contacts,” is certainly more likely to lead to good luck (success) than the first statement, right?

3. Waiting For Luck. This is perhaps one of the worst bad-luck habits. Work invites luck, not waiting. While one man waits for his “ship to come in,” others are building ships. Unlucky people just wait, and let things happen - for better and worse - and so miss out on the many opportunities that are out there waiting to be seized.
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Having supreme confidence and power in dealing with people seems like a skill that only the masters of interpersonal relationships and persuasion would be good at. But you would be surprised to know that there are simple tricks to get to the point where you could have a firm confidence and power in dealing with people.

Of course, everything that needs confidence and power needs to come from within. Thus, it is only logical that you must first be confident in general if you want to be confident in dealing with people.

If you notice, the most assertive individuals are those who know themselves well. Thus, the road to confidence and power in dealing with people starts in knowing yourself. Knowing yourself is a function of knowing your capacities and limits. When you know these, you would have confidence in yourself, and that would consequently practice the habit of being firm with yourself and with people.

Asserting yourself is a practice and habit of one who is confident in dealing with others. Unless you are assertive, no one would believe your authority.
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I believe there are 4 essential steps you must take if you want to succeed with any project. A project is anything that requires a plan. It can be simple like making a plan to go to a movie, or could be complicated like setting up an Internet business. But simple or not, if you want your project to succeed you need to take the these four steps:

Step 1 Picture the Purpose. Before you start any project you need to ask yourself what you really want. This might sound obvious, but it is amazing the number of people who don’t know what they really want when they start a project.

When you have answered that question you then need to ask yourself why you want what you want. This is very important as many people want something but don’t really know why they want it. In the case of the movie your answer might be that your favourite star is in it. To the Internet business you might answer that you want to work from home so you can spend more time with your family.

Step 2 Plan the Procedure. Once you have found the answers to the questions above you then need to ask yourself how you can get what you want. The best way to answer this question is to imagine you already have what you want!
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When we worry about wearing the “right” thing, supporting the “right” cause, or find ourselves wondering what others think of us, we are feeling the pull and power of the social consciousness. While we all want to fit in, we love the freedom of living from our true expression more. Our true expression comes from our innate wisdom, our natural brilliance that is a part of each of us. In this article we share a few thoughts about the limits of social consciousness and the freedom of natural brilliance.

Understanding thinking requires that we become aware of the thoughts we are focused on. We need to be able to recognize the thoughts that draw our attention so we can make a choice about them. When we aren’t mindful of our thinking, we become lost in our thoughts. A person lost in a forest is unable to identify the path taken or to find the way out. Finding the path allows choosing which way to go. Similarly, once we identify the thoughts we’ve been following, we can choose either to continue on the same path or forge a new trail.

Our social consciousness, or what we know about the beliefs of our society, is stored in our computer mind. That mind is a collection and storage center for all of our experiences and all of the experiences that have been shared with us, consciously or unconsciously. For example, everything our parents have shared with us, everything our children have shared with us, everything our coworkers have shared with us is filed in our computer mind. This information shapes our attitudes, our decision making, our beliefs, and our behavior. The sense that we make of who we are comes out of this conditioning. It is an understanding, our story; it may or may not be real.
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Let’s face it. We all want a little credit, even just the tiniest bit of recognition for a new haircut, a fetching sartorial ensemble, or a job well done. But when compliments are lacking, or words of encouragement nonexistent, then positive thinking phrases are the next best thing. Use positive thinking phrases like the ones below and give yourself a friendly pat on the back.

Positive thinking phrases, or positive affirmations, are like mantras you repeat over and over to yourself. Hopefully, by some mystifying subliminal process, the power of these words will be able to condition you to positively influence your way of thinking and as a result, your way of living.

Here are some examples:

Phrase #1: Hey, Gorgeous!

Admit it. Getting complimented for your looks is a wondrous tonic for the ego. So get out of bed, face the mirror and give your ego a boost. Nothing beats a greeting like that first thing in the morning to get you revved up for the stress of the day ahead.

Don’t worry about sounding a bit vain or conceited, as long as you do it in private and out of anyone’s earshot. And when you feel good inside, it’ll reflect on your outer person, making you even more attractive. It won’t be long before others will notice and compliment you as well.

Phrase #2: Yes, I can!

Another variant of this is, “Ain’t nothin’ to it but to do it,” as mentioned in the show, Hey Arnold, on Nickelodeon. In order to accomplish something, you must first believe in your heart that you are fully capable of success.

You’ll find that it’s usually the hardest part of any endeavor—mustering enough courage. Without this belief in yourself, you can get easily discouraged and prone to quitting. Have faith. Remember, the only thing that can stop you is yourself.
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