Copyright (c) 2010 Matthew Linklater

Isn't luck something you either have or don't have? Don't things seem to simply go well for some, while others struggle to get life to go their way so they can achieve what they want? Does it seem to you that your goals are met successfully and your challenges are easily overcome - or alternatively - that your hard work doesn't always pay off like you had expected? Here's a more important question... if you are typically an unlucky person, then how can you experience outrageous success in your corporate sales or management position?

I have an answer for you, but first, think about a specific scenario involving chance and luck: when you go to a business function and the company collects business cards to throw in a bowl for a highly desirable grand prize drawing of the latest Apple technological device, what are you thoughts? Would you be more likely to be filled with hope and excitement, with an open-minded perspective that you could possibly be the winner? Or rather, do you shrink back with the overwhelming certainty that since you never win anything, you couldn't possibly win this time either?

According to a recent Reader's Digest publication, scientific study results conducted over the course of 10 years show that most of the time, our pre-determined destiny of being "lucky" or "unlucky" is all really just a matter of perspective. "Lucky people," Richard Wiseman reports, are more likely to be found "seizing chance opportunities; creating self-fulfilling prophesies through positive expectations; and adopting a resilient attitude that turns bad luck around." The most astonishing test of chance opportunity that Wiseman conducted was asking his 400 test subjects to count the photos in a newspaper that he gave them. The people who considered themselves to be lucky completed the test in a matter of seconds, rather than the several minutes that "unlucky" people spent. Why? The lucky people found a boldly printed message on page two that said they could stop counting photos and win $250 by reporting that they found that message! People who are considered "lucky" have a mind that is more open to possibilities and opportunities. However, unlucky people focus too strictly on what they are searching for, rather than recognizing the obvious potential right before their eyes. Clearly, tunnel vision was not rewarded in this newspaper test!

We see how seizing chance opportunity leads to luck, so how can we cultivate the other two pillars of being lucky - positive thinking and resilient attitude - in our lives to positively affect our business success. In my sales force training courses, I use an affective tool that actually parallels both of these concepts. It's called "perception is projection": altering the meaning or value of something by changing the context. Consider with me for a moment that you are pitching a new product to a big client, and you lose the sale. You could easily slump unto a downward spiral of thinking, in which you fret over your failure. You think in your mind that this just confirms that you are generally unlucky anyway. You consider their answer of maybe to be a no, because the outcome did not meet your expectations.

But what if, instead, you reconsidered your initial interpretation of the exchange you had with your potential client and change your perception of the outcome. Perception is projection! Change the situation in your mind to consider the possibility that you might be ahead. You might consider that they need to consult with other team members before making a final decision. Perhaps these clients are highly analytical and tread very carefully before committing to a contract, whereas you are generally accustomed to clients who make more on-the-spot emotional decisions.

After teaching communication model of "perception is projection" in my business sales training program, professionals in my courses have become more likely to experience "luck" because their more positive thoughts lead to more success-driving beliefs in their abilities and talents. Your actions will reflect those beliefs, and you'll see the sales results that you're longing for. Even after losing a contract... by changing your perception, you will be more likely to focus on the learning experiences you've gained and the relationships that you've built from that. Adapt your perception in your mind to reinterpret your work and life more positively. You'll project what you perceive and when you perceive great results, you have a better chance of reaping great rewards!

Resources:

Wiseman, Richard. "How to Get Lucky: Scientific proof that you make your own breaks." Reader's Digest Online. 10 Sept 2010. http://www.rd.com/home-garden/how-to-get-lucky/article27664.html. Accessed 18 Sept 2010.