How to become the Luckiest Person You Know, Part 2

Since my recent post about The Secret reached so many people…

And since I (think) I’ve figured out how to become the luckiest person you know, I now firmly believe:

IT AIN’T ABOUT LUCK!

Here’s a fun, easy exercise you can do to prove that to yourself:

1. Think about the “luckiest” things that ever happened to you.
2. Write what great stuff happened as a result.
3. Think about what you will now do differently as a result.

A few examples from Nametagland:

BOY AM I GLAD THAT I…
Attended every cocktail hour, dinner, event, break out session and after-hours hot tub celebration instead of sleeping or relaxing in my hotel room during last year’s WOMMA conference.

BECAUSE AS A RESULT…
I made connections with hundreds of people, dozens of which became friends and/or colleagues; 13 of which became clients, all of which contributed to over $100,000 of revenue during the next year.

SO FROM NOW ON…
1. Get out of your hotel room.
2. Save sleep for the plane ride home.
3. Maximize your conference time: go to everything!

BOY AM I GLAD THAT I…
Starting writing content-rich, easy to read articles and posting a new one on my website every week.

BECAUSE AS A RESULT…
The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, FastCompany and COSMOPOLITAN contacted me for expert opinions on approachability, the printed quotes of which I leveraged to command a higher fee level and a dramatic increase in book sales.

SO FROM NOW ON…
1. Get up one hour earlier and write for 60 minutes every single day.
2. Write at least two articles every month.
3. Publish those articles online and in your ezine and share your expertise with the world.

BOY AM I GLAD THAT I…
Graduated from college, had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and moved across the country to a strange city where I’d never been, didn’t know anybody and didn’t have a job.

BECAUSE AS A RESULT…
I made a group of lifelong friends, suffered just enough to realize what I DIDN’T want, discovered my true calling, started my career and came to realize the validation for my existence.

SO FROM NOW ON…
1. Create intentional discomfort by displacing yourself.
2. Don’t be afraid to figure out what you DON’T want first.
3. Listen, listen, listen to the clues life gives you.

BOY AM I GLAD THAT I…
Spent 14 straight hours addressing 112 hand-written notes to every Hyatt GM in the country to introduce myself (and my training programs).

BECAUSE AS A RESULT…
I began working with several properties around the country over the next three years, which led to a new niche market, a new book idea and over $10,000 of new business.

SO FROM NOW ON…
1. Make it handwritten.
2. Be willing to pay the price.
3. Go straight to the top and show ‘em what you got.

BOY AM I GLAD THAT I…
Spent three full days (about 20 hours) on the phone calling every single person from my audience who gave me their business card and thanked them for being there.

BECAUSE AS A RESULT…
More than a dozen of them decided at some point within the following year, to hire me.

SO FROM NOW ON…
1. Exponentially increase your activity level.
2. Get your butt on the phone!
3. Make it personal.

BOY AM I GLAD THAT I…
Started blogging every single day.

BECAUSE AS A RESULT…
I accumulated over 500 posts, the contents of which skyrocketed my web presence, created a easily accessible online knowledge management system, boosted my email list, introduced me to hundreds of cool new people, expanded my platform, tripled my web traffic and helped create (and eventually get published) my next five books.

SO FROM NOW ON…
1. Stop thinking blogs are only for geeks.
2. Start blogging tomorrow.
3. Post something on your blog every single day for the next 6 months.

BOY AM I GLAD THAT I…
Sat down on the bus on December 2nd, 2002, and said hello to a complete stranger.

BECAUSE AS A RESULT…
He passed along my business card to his girlfriend, who was the editor of a local paper. She called to do an interview with me and the resulting article got picked up by every major news wire in the country, which resulting in the birth of my entire career, including everything you’ve just read in this article.

SO FROM NOW ON…
1. Realize that it’s OK to talk to strangers.
2. Say hi to everybody.
3. And just remember: it ain’t about luck.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s the luckiest thing that ever happened to you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
What happened as a result? What will you now do differently as a result?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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What they won’t tell you in The Secret

I’m pretty much obsessed with The Secret.

You can’t argue it. It really is a cool movie.

Smart. Poignant. Inspirational.

And of course, deliciously hokey.

Which isn’t to say it’s bad. Just because something is hokey doesn’t mean it’s ineffective. I’ve personally applied several visualization tips from The Secret and seen some incredible results in my personal and professional life.

But, (and this is a BIG butt, here)…

The people in The Secret make it look EASY.

Which is kind of misleading. Because it’s not easy.

You can’t just “think” your way to success.
You can’t just make a vision board and expect stuff to happen.

Honestly, I think if The Secret were true to life, it would be a ten-hour movie.

AND, nine hours and forty-seven minutes of those ten hours would be all those good looking, impossibly positive, super successful people telling the camera about:

o All the grunt work
o All the long hours
o All the insufferable crap
o All the family members and friends who didn’t see them for months at a time because they were working so hard

…COMBINED with their mental and spiritual prowess to create success.

That would be a little more believable.

IN SHORT: 90% of success isn’t seen.

People like Tiger Woods, Donald Trump, Jack Canfield, (insert rich and successful person here)…

…work their ASSES off!

But you don’t see that. That’s not what they show on FOX. Or ESPN. Or The Secret.

You see the 10.

You don’t see Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer in the world, when he’s practicing for six hours a day.

You just see his 350-yard drive.

You don’t see Donald Trump, the most successful businessman in the world, when he’s working 18-hour days.

You just see his buildings sell for millions.

And you don’t see Jack Canfield, the most successful author in the world, when he’s secluding himself in a cabin for nine months to write his next book.

You just see his name on the bestseller list.

So, next time you turn on the TV, flip open Golf Digest or hear someone talking about how cool (and how easy) The Secret is, just remember one thing:

Nobody sees the 90.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What do you think about The Secret?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Tell us your secret…here!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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How to become the Luckiest Person You Know

Milton Berle said, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

Horatio Alger said, “Luck happens to those who greatly increase the chances of its occurrence.”

This brings up an important question: Does opportunity only knock once?

I used to think so. Because that’s what I’d always been told. By the media, by my friends, by my teachers, by everyone.

You only get one shot.
You’ll never get a second chance.
Opportunity only knocks once.

Then, after college, I started to get lucky. Like, all the time. Lucky with people. Lucky with business. Lucky with life.

My new neighbor became my best friend.
I landed huge interviews on CNN and NBC.
I encountered complete strangers who changed my life.
I experienced moments of online serendipity that drove millions of people to my website.

Amazing stuff just started happening to me. And I thought, Man, I’m really lucking out!

Then I read somewhere that L.U.C.K was an acronym for “Laboring Under Correct Knowledge.”

And I realized something: it’s not that opportunity only knocks once. It knocks all the time. Probably every day. The problem is: people don’t listen. Sure, they might hear it, but they don’t take action.

Maybe because they’re too busy.
Maybe because they think it’s a fluke.
Maybe because they think they’re not lucky.
Maybe because they don’t think it’ll be worth answering.

In other words, pessimism.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t hope for opportunity – I expect it. Every day. Not because I deserve it, but because I’ve learned how to magnetize and leverage it. In fact, I’d say that I’m the luckiest person I know. And I think I can help you be the same:

6 Steps To Becoming The Luckiest Person You Know

1. Affirm. Every morning, affirm to yourself that great things are going to happen to you today. That you’re going to experience incredible personal and professional opportunities. That you will be a magnet for cool stuff and people.

2. Beware. Always be on the lookout for potential opportunities. Keep your eyes and ears open. Think into the future and ask, “What could this lead to?”

3. Celebrate. Whenever one of those “lucky” incidents happens, give thanks. Be excited that you proved yourself right. And say to yourself, I knew this was going to happen!

4. Documentation. Write them down. Keep track of your moments in an Opportunity Journal. You might try doing this with a partner with whom you can share your mutual opportunities.

5. Evaluate. Look for trends. Figure out what you did right. Figure out what correct knowledge you were laboring under.

6. Frequency. If opportunity already knocked once, invite it back. I’m sure it would love to stop by again.

John Maxwell was right: “Opportunity always takes NOW for an answer.”

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Who’s the luckiest person you know?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag

Are you That Guy?
Find out in Scott’s latest book at www.hellomynameisscott.com

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Tag: it’s not luck

How to become the Luckiest Person You Know, Part 2

What they won’t tell you in The Secret

How to become the Luckiest Person You Know