A to Z of Luck : T is for Toleration - busting

Here's another installment of my project to provide an antidote to the pessimism we find all around us, by exploring the ways that we can make our own luck.

This time: T is for Toleration busting

One of the first things I learned when I started my coach training with Jim Vuocolo and Coach U was the concept of Tolerations.

What’s a toleration? They are the small irritations, energy drainers, things we put up with large and small which irritate us. They may be so small that we barely notice them, or so big that we can’t help it.

The key that sticks in your lock, the bad habit, the dead plant in the driveway, the corrosive colleague, the negative news on TV.

We may train ourselves to put up with them, even “not really notice” them any more. But large or small, tolerations drain our energy, create discomfort, and cause us to work harder. Eliminate them and life sails more smoothly and efficiently.

The first step: make a list: Write down the tolerations that come to mind when you think of work, home, and all other aspects of your life. As you think of more items later, add them to your list. Nothing is too trivial.

Your list may include situations, your beliefs and behaviours, other people's behaviours, unmet needs, broken objects, incomplete projects, problems, lack of equipment, your car, etc. It may be that you have never set up your printer defaults correctly, so you have to constantly change the settings.

You may or may not choose to do anything about the tolerations on your list right now. However, just becoming aware of the things you are tolerating, will bring them to the forefront where you will naturally start handling, eliminating, fixing, and resolving them.

As you develop a habit of dealing with things as they arise, you’ll create fewer tolerations and feel more powerful and assertive about dealing with them.

A to Z of Luck : J is for Juggling

I've been posting an A to Z of Luck, and today J is for Juggling.

When I first started juggling training at the Circus Space in London with Jebb the Juggler I was told that there were three rules:

1 - Don't stop till you drop
2 - When you do drop in a passing routine never say sorry. Mistakes are part of the process, every mistake is getting you closer to success. Just pick things up and keep going.
3 - Don't wait till you've perfected a trick to move on - always try something a bit more complex. When you come back to the initial trick you'll find it you can do it with ease.

The benefits of juggling are many. The constant failure forces you to get comfortable with mistakes. It's great for overcoming the crippling perfectionism which stops us taking risks and trying new things. I found juggling helped me to be more relaxed, more resilient, and more creative. And, in one scientific study at the University of Regensburg in Germany, brain scans showed that those who had learned to juggle had increased their brain matter after practising juggling for 3 months.

It's a general principle: the more you try, the luckier you'll get. Juggling is a great way to help you keep trying new things, and to persist. Throwing balls or clubs around can help you toss ideas around too. I love juggling with other people - and it can be a great social pastime, whether or not you're doing it for sport or as a performance.

I decided to use J for juggling today , as we've been planning the timetable for a conference "Speaking Professionally" run by the NSA Christchurch Chapter. I have a 5 minute break-out energiser juggling exercise which I learned in a workshop from the wonderful Denis Paumier. I cannot do 1/100th of the things Denis can do, but this exercise, which involves 1 ball per person to start with, is a lot of fun, and good for the brain and mood.

A to Z of luck : Enthusiasm

It's Day 5 of my project to identify things which help bring luck.  I am working on the theory, that the Genius of luck is first, spotting opportunities, and second, taking advantage of them. 

Today: E is for Enthusiasm

Opportunities come the way of people who show they are keen to help out and keen to take action.  Enthusiasm, or keenness, or general positivity makes you a much nicer person to be around (provided, of course, it is balanced by groundedness and giving space for other people - no one likes people who are so manically enthusiastic that they take up all the oxygen in the room. ) 

If you need help in being more positive, energised and enthusiastic, try the Improv game "Yes And"with a friend.   You tell a story, taking turns to add a sentence.  Each time, their sentence begins with "Yes and ...".  That's it.  Try it.  Try it with yourself if no-one else is around.

There's no chance to block ideas, be negative or critical, it gets you into a positive, accepting mindset, and all that positivity is positively energising.  

When I did performance improv with Short and Girlie, I always got there early for warm-ups, and always tried to do a round of "Yes and ..." with each of the players on the evening, especially those I didn't know well.  It really helped to put me into a creative, lively mindset.  

And of course - being positive, aware, alert to opportunities, listening to those around us can all help us be alert to opportunities, and generally make us luckier.  

Tomorrow, the letter F!