I believe the way to happiness is in finding a daily purpose. And eventually, you’ll run into examples of happy luck there. That’s what this blog post today is about. So if you’ve been feeling unlucky, stuck, or wondering about how to get more good luck, grab a drink and keep reading.
One immediate additon you can make is to add a new joyful daily practice that’s different than the previous ones that aren’t “the one.” Finding that can create the outlet or space you need to drift into your best season.
Staying open to new possibilities is gonna help lead you there and out of disappointment from unmet expectations.
If you’re super busy, even finding 10 minutes a day will move you in a healthy way. You don’t have to produce anything. You just want to get the energy juices flowing inside you, and develop an interest in the process.
It matters to YOU what that is and what you do, but it doesn’t matter what it is. It’s your thoughts and feelings at the end of the day that carries you through.
You can start by simply pulling out a few (or all the) supplies needed. Say, your practice is something simple like yoga, then you’d roll out your yoga mat and pull out your stretchy clothes. Or if it’s as complex as lace making, you’d bring out your threads and materials.
My recommend is to start spending a ‘lil time (gathering supplies or working on your practice) in your spare time while you’re watching television. It doesn’t have to be either/or… when you get moving, juices flow easier.
When you can visually see what you need to work on as a practice or hobby, that can become top-of-mind consciousness instead of: “out of sight, out of mind.” You put your mind towards a purpose. It can feel like an anxious distraction or passion freedom.
You were born naturally to be active, just like horses and greyhounds are born to run. As kids, we knew we wanted to play. Go back to your natural instinct roots and wonder and play in the adult way. You may even find yourself in your calm Alpha waves state of mind.
That’s what I thought about scrapbooking years ago, but then I lost interest. So don’t be surprised if you go through different activities to find “the one.”
Our world today is like a lotus flower opening and evolving. We didn’t know the internet would turn out the way it is today, when it first came out, but we got involved. And look at it now!
I’ve never been able to watch the Australian Open live stream until this year—and with open access, I was more aware, interested, and curious in another part of the world than where I live. And used some of that time to bake. See how we can use the world around us to be more open (even if we can’t do it exactly the way we want)?
Your practice can become a daily passion. You can be multi-passionate, but you’ll find one passion or interest eventually dominates and becomes more your purpose. It’s the one giving life to others too that you can share or do life with.
In the beginning, the satisfied feeling for doing your passion can be there just to make you feel better about yourself (a good way to get self-care and not overspend!).
Your day will feel more joyful. You don’t need a deep reason as to why you’re doing it. When you feel happier, however that shows up for you, then you can show up more giving and creative. Our ego sourly wants us to believe that everything has to turn into some kind of accomplishment that others praise and has to turn into a high achievement (or else why do it?). Don’t fall for those lies. Tell your ego who’s boss at the moment.
The real gift or takeaway is in the process of showing up (you’ve probably heard a zillion times), improving your practice regularly, and loving what you’re doing more than the praise or the idea that you can succeed or fail. Do it to be productive, and make it a natural desire to your life, like as the hunting dog wants to chase.
When you’ve worked on your practice long enough (often years), that can form into your purpose and lead you to additional productive purposes from what you’ve already learned.
You pay your dues with low paid or free work and time, and once you’ve proven to yourself that you’ll do this practice even if you’re not paid, then you’re unstoppable in your niche. And you’ll be rewarded for taking a risk in being productive.
What you know is, you’re on the right track even if you see no immediate fruit. One sign is you would’ve given up on it for something else a long time ago. Sometimes people quit, get busy or distracted, and then come back, that’s almost a sure sign you’re on the right track no matter how it looks to others.
That’s why I believe you should go for what you really want to do with your life (and forget about what looks good on paper) because you only get this one life to do (and there’s not a do-over for anyone). And so, the importance of time can catch up with you where you crave a high quality of life, balance, health, and relationships… and possibly over money.
Maybe that’s where you are (or are headed in that direction)?
Figuring out what makes you needed to the world sooner will give you more time to do more of that. In growth, we try not to go backward and when we stumble on luck, we know it’s our time to run and build on that momentum.
So then, what is luck?
It’s a simple four-letter word, but leaning into luck is going to propel you to better things.
If you haven’t already, it may be useful to write out all the places where you felt you got lucky. Nothing is too small. Scoring a parking spot is luck. And the more you can find these examples in your life, the more luck takes healthy root in your life as you look for more.
It’s often understated and why one person works super hard and the door never opens, and one person who barely tried falls into luck. It isn’t earned. It’s you walking into and towards your destiny.
It’s what we sometimes refer to as “beginner’s luck.” When you pair that with persistence (never giving up) plus hard work, you’re virtually unstoppable.
Luck is invisible but always involved. It’s our ego that says, “it was our doing,” when it was a collaboration with those involved and the Universe all along.
Luck really is your alignment with your assignments and purpose. It’s lining you up for the right next opportunity at the perfect time. Luck isn’t random luck. And if you choose to believe that, then you can wonder how to use your luck in your favor.
You can use it to find your purpose and the reason why you’re here.
Nothing goes wasted. Remember, it’s our (ego) minds that mess with us and want us to believe we’re our ego. Outsmarting your ego is good advice.
And what you are productively doing now (even if it’s not exciting) will move you to the next thing. And you will end up using all of your experiences, on this seemingly chaotic planet. But when you dig deeper, you can see how organized it is, in every blade of grass and life’s full circle moments.
If you had a season you didn’t like, those lessons you learned can help make you aware to not do the same mistakes again. That can sometimes take two steps forward and one step backward. Staying patient with yourself but keep trying… and laughing at life once in a while helps!
And if this all seems new or foreign to you, don’t worry, that’s part of why you’re here, and when you’re ready, you’ll figure out what you need. And the sooner you do, the more you get to do what you want to do and get all the great gifts associated as long as you don’t quit working, dreaming, and wanting. Gifts can be new relationships, opportunities, money, praise, promotion, etc.
And if you don’t like your grueling day job or are dissatisfied with corporate life, then maybe you want to look at other avenues. Sure, some of your old communities and friends will drift away, but you’ll develop new ones just like when you finished school or when you moved to a new town.
One day, John Lennon just walked out of the room and that was the end of The Beatles band. In the peaceful flow, he didn’t cut off ties. He just pivoted. One day. Suddenly. It doesn’t have to be dramatic or have an announcement made (others can do that without you).
In my life, I took a sabbatical when it wasn’t the norm and I had to explain what that was as it sounds like a religious or college-related quest. And now people are rethinking and opting to do the same. Maybe that’s your next pivot move? Or trying something completely new. Just starting is the best advice I’ve ever heard.
Whatever that productive next step is for you, stay the course until something else takes over, and then you can expectantly watch as a new kind of luck emerges that you would’ve never seen had you not taken the first step. It’s as simple and complicated as that.