How to Be Lucky: 14 Science-Backed Habits to Create Your Own Good Fortune

Learn how to be lucky with proven techniques! Science shows you can make your own luck through specific mindsets and behaviors that create opportunities.

Some people just seem to have all the luck, don’t they?

But what if I told you that learning how to get lucky isn’t about mystical forces or being born under a lucky star?

In this guide, you’ll discover 14 proven strategies to make your own luck and become one of those people who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

What Is Luck?

Luck is the intersection of preparation meeting opportunity, combined with the ability to recognize and act on favorable circumstances.

While random events do occur, what we commonly call “luck” is largely the result of specific behaviors, mindsets, and habits that increase our exposure to positive possibilities.

Research (source) shows that people who consider themselves lucky tend to share remarkably similar traits and behaviors. They’re more:

Observant
Optimistic
Open to new experiences

They also maintain larger social networks and are better at spotting opportunities that others miss.

The fascinating part? When researchers (source) studied people’s “lucky” and “unlucky” streaks, they found that mindset and behavior were far better predictors of outcomes than random chance. This means you can actively improve your luck by adopting the right strategies!

Think of luck as a skill rather than a supernatural force. Just like you can learn to be funnier or more charismatic, you can learn how to be more lucky by developing the habits that consistently put fortune in your favor.

Why Learning How to Get Lucky Matters

Understanding how to get good luck can help you take control of your life outcomes. Studies (source) consistently show that people who feel lucky experience greater well-being, stronger relationships, and more career success.

When you believe you can influence your circumstances, you become more proactive. You might be more likely to:

take calculated risks
network more effectively
remain alert to opportunities that pessimistic people completely overlook!

This creates a powerful feedback loop: the more lucky breaks you recognize and act upon, the more confident you become in your ability to create favorable outcomes.

Lucky people also tend to be more resilient when things go wrong. Instead of viewing setbacks as evidence of their bad fortune, they reframe challenges as temporary obstacles or even hidden opportunities. This mindset helps them bounce back faster and maintain the positive energy that attracts good things.

Perhaps most importantly, learning these skills helps you realize that you’re not at the mercy of random forces. You have far more control over your “luck” than you might think.

14 Science-Backed Ways to Get Lucky

Develop an Expectation of Good Fortune

Your brain has an amazing ability to find what it’s looking for. When you genuinely expect good things to happen, you become more attuned to positive possibilities and opportunities around you.

Research (source) reveals that optimistic people notice and remember positive events more readily than negative ones. This cognitive bias actually helps create better outcomes. When you expect good luck, you’re more likely to:

Strike up conversations with strangers who might offer opportunities
Take calculated risks that could lead to breakthroughs
Persist through challenges instead of giving up too early
Interpret ambiguous situations in a positive light

Action Step: Start each day by writing down three good things you expect to happen. They can be small (finding a great parking spot) or large (hearing back about a job opportunity). This simple practice trains your brain to scan for positive possibilities.

Reframe Setbacks as Hidden Opportunities

Unlucky people tend to interpret setbacks as confirmation of their bad fortune. Lucky people view the same events as redirection toward something better.

Studies (source) show that people who maintain this positive reframing actually do experience better outcomes over time. When you’re looking for the opportunity within every challenge, you’re more likely to find creative solutions and unexpected advantages.

Some classic examples of reframing in action:

Getting rejected from your dream job, then starting your own company
Missing a flight, then meeting your future spouse in the airport
Losing a major client, then having time to pursue a more profitable niche

The key is genuine reframing, not just putting a positive spin on everything. Look for the real lessons, connections, and possibilities that emerge from apparent setbacks.

Action Step: When something disappointing happens this week, ask yourself: “How might this redirect me toward something even better?” Give yourself time to brainstorm at least three possible positive outcomes.

Create Lucky Rituals and Environments

While luck isn’t truly superstitious, having rituals and environments that make you feel confident and optimistic can indirectly increase your luck. When you feel good about yourself and your prospects, you behave in ways that attract better outcomes.

This might include:

A morning routine that energizes you for the day
A workspace that inspires creativity and focus
Clothes that make you feel confident and capable
Regular activities that put you in a positive state of mind
Organizing your environment to reduce stress and increase clarity

Choose rituals and environments that genuinely improve your mindset and energy, not arbitrary superstitions that create anxiety if you can’t perform them.

Think about the times in your life when you felt most confident and optimistic. What environmental factors or routines contributed to that state? How can you recreate those conditions more consistently?

Action Step: Identify one environmental change or ritual you could implement that would help you feel more confident and optimistic on a daily basis.

Lucky people tend to know more people, and those connections become channels for opportunities.

A landmark study (source) by researchers from MIT, Stanford, and Harvard found that weak ties (acquaintances and distant connections) are often more valuable for creating lucky breaks than close friends. Your best friend probably moves in similar circles and has access to similar opportunities. But that person you met at a conference last year? They might have access to completely different worlds of possibility.

The key is maintaining these relationships without being transactional about it. Send occasional updates, share interesting articles, or simply check in when someone crosses your mind.

Pro Tip: Set a goal to have one meaningful conversation with a new person each week. This could be a deep chat with a neighbor, connecting with someone on LinkedIn, or engaging in a community group discussion.

Practice Radical Openness to New Experiences

Lucky people say “yes” more often than unlucky people. They attend events they’re curious about, try activities outside their comfort zone, and remain open to unexpected invitations.

This openness creates what researchers call “planned happenstance (source)”: putting yourself in situations where serendipitous encounters become more likely. You can’t predict which new experience will lead to a breakthrough, but you can increase your odds by exposing yourself to more possibilities.

Consider these examples of openness leading to lucky breaks:

Attending a random networking event and meeting a future business partner
Taking an improv class and discovering a talent for public speaking
Accepting a dinner invitation and sitting next to someone who becomes a mentor
Reading Captivate, my best-seller on how to master the art of building social connections:

Action Step: This week, say yes to at least one invitation or opportunity that you’d normally decline. Pay attention to the unexpected connections and insights that emerge.

Improve Your Observational Skills

Lucky people are incredibly observant. They notice small details that others miss, pick up on subtle social cues, and spot opportunities hiding in plain sight.

Research (source) suggests that anxious or stressed people tend to have tunnel vision: they focus so intensely on their problems that they miss positive possibilities around them. Lucky people, by contrast, maintain a relaxed awareness that allows them to spot unexpected opportunities.

Consider this famous experiment on selective attention that you might have encountered in Psych 101: count how many times people wearing white shirts pass the ball in this video:

&t=37s

If you’re focused intensely on counting, you might completely miss the person in a gorilla suit walking through the scene. This illustrates how narrow focus can blind us to obvious opportunities!

Pro Tip: Practice the “5-4-3-2-1” awareness technique. Several times throughout your day, notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. This builds your general observational skills.

Create and Recognize Patterns

Lucky people are excellent pattern recognizers. They notice when certain types of situations tend to lead to positive outcomes, and they deliberately create more of those conditions.

Maybe you notice that you always meet interesting people when you take the long route to work. Or perhaps your best ideas come when you’re walking in nature. Lucky people pay attention to these patterns and intentionally recreate the circumstances that tend to generate good fortune.

This also applies to timing patterns. Some people discover they’re luckiest when they take action on Monday mornings, or when they follow up exactly three days after an initial meeting. The specific patterns matter less than your ability to notice and replicate them.

Keep a “luck log” for a month. Note when good things happen and what circumstances preceded them. You might be surprised by the patterns that emerge.

Pro Tip: Look for patterns in other successful people’s stories too. Read biographies and interviews to identify common circumstances that tend to create lucky breaks in your field.

Trust Your Intuition More Often

Research (source) suggests that people who describe themselves as lucky tend to rely more heavily on their intuition when making decisions. This means that you trust the rapid processing your unconscious mind does based on subtle patterns and cues.

Your intuition is constantly picking up on information that your conscious mind hasn’t yet processed. It’s that gut feeling about a person, situation, or opportunity that might be based on:

Micro-expressions
Vocal tones
Environmental details

…and other cues you haven’t consciously noticed.

Lucky people tend to trust these feelings, especially when the stakes are relatively low. They’ll change their route home because something feels off, or they’ll strike up a conversation with someone because they have a good feeling about them.

Think of a time when you had a strong gut feeling about something but ignored it. How did that turn out? Now recall a time when you followed your intuition. Most people find their intuition is surprisingly accurate when they actually listen to it.

Action Step: For the next week, pay attention to your gut reactions in low-stakes situations. When something feels right or wrong, follow that instinct and notice what happens.

Take More Small, Calculated Risks

Lucky people aren’t necessarily bigger risk-takers, but they’re better at taking smart risks with favorable risk-reward ratios. They understand that playing it safe all the time is actually the riskiest strategy of all.

The key is taking many small risks rather than betting everything on one big gamble. This approach gives you multiple chances for lucky breaks while limiting your downside if things don’t work out.

Examples of smart small risks:

Reaching out to someone you admire for an informational interview
Submitting your work to a competition or publication
Attending an event where you don’t know anyone
Volunteering for a challenging project at work
Starting a side project while keeping your day job

Each individual risk might not pay off, but when you take enough of them, the odds strongly favor at least some positive outcomes.

Pro Tip: Aim to take one small, calculated risk each week. Keep the potential downside minimal while maximizing the upside possibilities.

Practice Strategic Gratitude

Gratitude can be a luck-creating strategy. Research (source) shows that grateful people are more optimistic, more helpful to others, and better at maintaining the relationships that often lead to opportunities.

But lucky people practice a specific type of gratitude: they focus on appreciating the people and circumstances that contributed to their success. This creates a positive feedback loop where people are more likely to help them again in the future.

Strategic gratitude also helps you recognize good luck when it happens. When you’re actively looking for things to appreciate, you become more aware of the positive events and helpful people in your life.

Ways to practice strategic gratitude:

Send handwritten thank-you notes or gifts for both big and small favors
Publicly acknowledge people who’ve helped you (social media shout-outs work great)
Keep a weekly gratitude journal focused specifically on opportunities and support you’ve received
Remember to thank people for introductions, referrals, and recommendations

Action Step: This week, reach out to three people who’ve helped you in some way and express specific gratitude for their impact on your life.

Maintain High Energy and Enthusiasm

Energy is magnetic. People are naturally drawn to those who radiate enthusiasm and positive energy, and these connections often lead to unexpected opportunities.

Studies (source) show that people in positive emotional states are more creative, more collaborative, and more likely to take the kinds of actions that create lucky breaks. High energy also makes you more memorable in social situations.

This doesn’t mean being artificially upbeat all the time. Authentic enthusiasm (especially about your interests and goals) tends to be contagious. When people see your genuine excitement about something, they often want to help or get involved.

Ways to maintain positive energy:

Get enough sleep and exercise regularly
Surround yourself with optimistic people
Engage regularly in activities that energize you
Limit exposure to negative news and toxic relationships
Take breaks when you feel your energy flagging

Pro Tip: Before important social or professional interactions, take a few minutes to genuinely get excited about the possibilities the encounter might bring.

Become a Connector for Others

Lucky people understand that getting good luck often involves creating luck for others first. When you consistently help connect people and create opportunities for others, you become known as someone valuable to know.

This creates a reputation that brings opportunities your way. People think of you when interesting possibilities arise because they know you’ll either be interested yourself or know someone who would be perfect for it.

Start small by introducing people in your network who might benefit from knowing each other. Share job postings with qualified friends. Recommend great books, restaurants, or services to people who’d appreciate them.

The beautiful thing about being a connector is that it costs you nothing but creates enormous goodwill. People remember when you’ve helped them, and they’re eager to return the favor when they can!

Action Step: This month, make at least three introductions between people in your network who don’t know each other but might find value in connecting.

Remember to Follow-Up

Most people are terrible at following up, which creates a huge opportunity for those who do it well. Lucky people understand that initial meetings are just the beginning; the real magic happens in consistent, thoughtful follow-through.

That’s because it typically takes multiple touchpoints before someone thinks of you when an opportunity arises. Most people give up after one or two attempts, but lucky people maintain relationships over time through periodic, valuable contact.

Effective follow-up strategies:

Send relevant articles or opportunities to people in your network
Check in during major life transitions (new jobs, moves, etc.)
Remember and ask about important events people mentioned
Offer help or resources without being asked
Use social media to stay loosely connected with a larger network

It’s important that you’re providing value, not just staying in touch for its own sake. When you reach out, always try to include something useful: an interesting article, a relevant introduction, or a helpful resource.

Pro Tip: Set monthly calendar reminders to reach out to different segments of your network. Keep notes about people’s interests and goals so your outreach feels personal and relevant.

Develop Multiple Income Streams and Skill Sets

Lucky people don’t put all their eggs in one basket. They cultivate multiple sources of income, diverse skill sets, and various potential paths forward. This creates more opportunities for good fortune to find them.

When you’re not desperate or completely dependent on one outcome, you can afford to be more selective and take better risks. You also become more valuable to others because you bring diverse perspectives and capabilities.

Consider developing:

A side project or business alongside your main job
Skills that complement your primary expertise
Passive income streams that don’t require constant attention
Relationships in multiple industries or fields
Various potential career paths instead of just one

This diversification approach means that if one area hits a rough patch, you have other options available. More importantly, skills and connections from one area often create unexpected opportunities in another.

Action Step: Identify one new skill or income stream you could start developing this month. Take the first concrete step toward building this additional option.

Practice Opportunistic Optimism

This is different from blind optimism! Opportunistic optimists maintain a positive outlook while staying grounded in reality. They look for the silver lining in situations while taking practical action to improve their luck.

Research shows that this balanced approach leads to better decision-making than either pure optimism or pessimism. You maintain the openness and energy that attracts opportunities while avoiding the poor judgment that comes from ignoring real risks.

Opportunistic optimists ask better questions:

“What’s the best possible outcome here?”
“How can I influence this situation positively?”
“What would I need to believe to take positive action?”
“What’s one small step I could take right now?”

They also spend their mental energy more wisely. Instead of dwelling on what could go wrong, they focus most of their attention on what could go right and how to make it happen.

Pro Tip: When facing a challenge, spend 10% of your time acknowledging what’s difficult or risky, and 90% of your time focusing on possibilities and solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About How to Get Lucky

Is luck a real, external force or just probability?

Luck is primarily the result of probability combined with preparation, mindset, and behavior. While random events do occur, what people commonly experience as “luck” comes from positioning themselves to notice and capitalize on opportunities that others miss. Research shows that people who consider themselves lucky consistently practice specific behaviors that increase their exposure to positive outcomes.

What is the main difference between how “lucky” and “unlucky” people think?

Lucky people tend to expect good things to happen and interpret events optimistically, while unlucky people expect problems and focus on negative outcomes. This difference in expectation creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where lucky people notice more opportunities and unlucky people notice more obstacles, even in identical situations.

How does an optimistic mindset create more opportunities?

An optimistic mindset makes you more likely to take risks, start conversations, and pursue possibilities that pessimistic people avoid. Optimists also tend to be more persistent when facing challenges and more creative when solving problems. Additionally, people are naturally drawn to positive energy, which creates more social connections and collaborative opportunities.

What daily habits can scientifically increase your “luck”?

Key daily habits include practicing gratitude, maintaining curiosity about new experiences, staying physically and mentally energetic, following up consistently with your network, and reframing setbacks as learning opportunities. Research also shows that taking small calculated risks and expanding your social connections significantly increase favorable outcomes over time.

How can you reframe bad luck into a positive opportunity?

Start by asking yourself what this situation might be redirecting you toward, what lessons or skills you might gain, and what new connections or paths might emerge from the change. Focus on identifying specific actions you can take rather than dwelling on what went wrong. Many breakthrough opportunities come disguised as apparent setbacks.

Does your social network influence how lucky you are?

Your social network dramatically impacts your luck because most opportunities come through personal connections. Research shows that weak ties and diverse networks are particularly valuable because they provide access to different circles of information and opportunity. People with larger, more varied social networks consistently experience more “lucky breaks.”

How does being curious play a role in creating good fortune?

Curiosity keeps you open to new experiences and learning opportunities that closed-minded people miss. Curious people ask better questions, explore unexpected paths, and remain alert to possibilities in their environment. This openness dramatically increases the chances of stumbling upon fortunate discoveries and connections.

What does it really mean to “make your own luck”?

Making your own luck means consistently practicing behaviors and maintaining mindsets that increase your odds of positive outcomes. This includes expanding your network, staying open to new experiences, taking calculated risks, following up on opportunities, and maintaining optimistic expectations. While you can’t control random events, you can significantly influence how often favorable circumstances arise in your life.

Transform Your Fortune Starting Today

Learning how to get lucky comes down to understanding that fortune favors the prepared, the observant, and the optimistic. The 14 strategies we’ve covered are proven techniques that consistently create more opportunities for positive outcomes in your life.

Start implementing these techniques gradually, focusing on one or two strategies at a time until they become natural habits. Pay attention to the small positive changes that begin occurring as you shift your approach to creating good fortune. The most powerful realization is that you have far more control over your “luck” than you might have imagined.

Want to make your own luck through strategic networking? Learn how to turn every professional gathering into a goldmine of opportunities with our guide: How to Network at a Conference: 11 Pro Moves for Connections.