I'm Lucky and Allergic

British psychologist Richard Wiseman conducted a study in which participants were tasked with counting pictures in a newspaper. Before the study, they were asked if they saw themselves as lucky or unlucky. Those who felt unlucky took an average of 2 minutes to complete the task, while the self proclaimed lucky ones took just a few seconds. Why?

On the newspaper's second page, a large message stated, “Stop Counting- this newspaper has 43 photographs.” Although it was half the page, only the 'lucky' participants tended to notice it. The 'unlucky' ones missed it.

From this and other studies, Wiseman concluded that people largely create their own good and bad fortune.

He believes lucky people operate on four basic principles: "They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.”

It's often said that luck plays a part in any significant achievement, whether in business, sports, arts, or entertainment. This is true, but as Professor Wiseman highlights; random events don’t become “luck” unless we recognize and act on them.

Consider this:

In 1928, a small scratch in the garden might have lead to deadly infections (sanitization knowledge was limited). Yet, due to the keen observation of scientist Alexander Fleming, who spotted mold growth on a petri dish he'd left out during his vacation, penicillin was discovered. This mold, inhibiting bacterial growth, paved the way for a medical revolution. While some might attribute the mold's appearance to mere luck, it was Fleming's curiosity that turned this random event into a pivotal discovery. In another mindset, Fleming might have returned, dismissed the moldy petri dish as a careless mistake or a waste of time and discarded it. Instead, he embraced an experimental “you never know” attitude, tested it, and went on to make a world-changing discovery for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Question: How many potential opportunities do you overlook daily because you're not open to possibilities and positive outcomes?

Later in the story, when testing Penicillin, researchers struggled to produce it in adequate amounts. They needed to cultivate large amounts of mold to extract just a small usable amount of penicillin. The breakthrough came unexpectedly when a lab assistant spotted a moldy cantaloupe in a grocery store and decided to test it. Sure enough, it was the mold they needed, and it was 200 times more potent than any other they had encountered. Every single dose of penicillin has been derived from that moldy cantaloupe.

The key takeaway is that randomness shouldn't be equated with luck. Though the mold's appearance was random, it was fortunate that Fleming's curiosity led to its examination and discovery. Similarly, the lab assistant’s observation of the moldy cantaloupe was not just by chance; it was their perspective that saw potential in it. Humans are catalysts for random events; we should view life's occurrences as opportunities, realizing that any moment might be the serendipitous event we later attribute to good luck. We only recognize these moments if we are open to them and view ourselves as fortunate, lucky, someone that positive things can happen to and take action.

Daily, every interaction, event, or idea we engage with can lead to what others perceive as 'luck'. When dealing with complex and random networks (such is life), the ROI of time spent often can’t truly be calculated. The unsuspecting person you talk or reach out to today might be or introduce you to a future business partner, friend, or spouse. On a smaller scale, they may inspire an idea or lead to a brighter remainder of the day. Opportunities often disguise themselves; it's on us to recognize and act on them.

In conclusion: I am both lucky and allergic to penicillin.

G