A to Z of Luck : B is for Belief, and B is for Breathing Space

It's day 2 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.

My instinct is that we all are surrounded by a myriad of opportunities,and that the genius of luck is first, being able to see them, and second, being able to take advantage of them. I believe there are things we can do to make luck more likely, to help us make the most of the opportunities that are around us, even if the wider economy is in recession.

Each day will be themed around a letter of the alphabet, and today it's the letter "B".

B is for Belief, and B is also for Breathing Space

Henry Ford said " Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you're right."

Two members of my family have wildly different experiences and approaches to finding a space to park a car. One believes she'll get the parking space very close to where she needs it. She believes that it will be there, and drives to where she wants to be. A high percentage of the time, she succeeds.

Another family member is more pessimistic. He assumes he's unlikely to get a park right next to a popular event, or in the centre of town, because they will all have been taken by early-comers. One of two things often happens. First, he may park a distance from the venue, assuming it's the best he'll get, and then walk past empty spaces en route. Or, if he does drive close to the venue, his assumption that parks won't be available leads him to miss the parking spaces right under his nose until he's passed them. In Christchurch's one-way system, this often means that he's missed his opportunity to park and someone else gets the space.

The key difference: if you expect good things to happen, if you expect opportunities to be there (even in a recession) you're more likely to spot them when they do occur, and not just through the rear-view mirror.

Believing that luck is on your side, that you will have opportunities, is the first step.

B is for Belief, and it's also for Breath, and for Breathing Space.

Step two is creating some breathing space.

Taking a deep breath can instantly revive and recharge us, provide perspective, reduce anxiety, and even restore a sense of humour.

It's no accident that someone said "take time to smell the roses". In the act of inhaling we oxygenate our blood, feeding our brains and making them function more effectively.

It's also easy to get panicked, to think that more is better, to cram our days so full, to heap our expectations of ourselves so high that we don't have space to fit in new opportunities that come along.

I can't remember where I first heard the truism that "we need to make space in our lives for good things to come in"

Breathing space is vital to provide us with perspective and restore our energy, if we are to notice the opportunities around us, and make space to do something about it.

So today's lessons to bring luck then: Believe that opportunities are there. Take time every so often to detach from whatever you're doing to take a deep breath and look at what's around you. Create some breathing space, to recharge your batteries, and to make space in your life and work for good things to come in.

Do share any other thoughts you have. I'll be back tomorrow with thoughts on luck and the letter "C", which brings us Courage and also Charm.

Throwing 3 caps over the wall.

In the West Wing, President Bartlet has a barnstorming speech which contained the story about "the Irish lads whose journey was blocked by a brick wall seemingly too high to scale. Throwing their caps over the wall the lads had no choice but to follow."

I've reached the point at the moment when it's time to "throw my cap over the wall", to take action and get moving on a few projects: to get my newsletter going, rent new business premises to coach from, and organise a Christchurch Creative's Meet Up.

In that spirit, here's a few quotes on commitment and courage to get out there.

"Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it" Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Indecision is the leading cause of roadkill." T Harv Ecker, quoted by Michelle Schubnel

"Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides" attrib Margaret Thatcher *.

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult" Seneca

"You will do foolish things, so do them with enthusiasm" Colette

It's going to be a great week!

*I wouldn't often quote Maggie - I think Brian Walden summed her up: "Her strong points were her iron will. I've never known a will like it in politics and I've known a few politicians in my time in various countries. I've never known a man or woman faintly like her, she was as tough as they come, and anything that required guts and will she could do for you. Anything that required sensitivity, she couldn't, she had none."

I spent 3 weeks operating lighting and sound on a production of Sink the Belgrano, a blank-verse play by Stephen Berkoff, featuring the character Maggot Scratcher, based on Thatcher, and it didn't show her in a good light. The play itself was excellent, a great cast, superbly well acted - one of the best things I ever saw on the fringe, although sadly the audiences were small - even with a good review in Time Out. (That's fodder for another post, on how Theatre Companies take the "Product Concept" in marketing rather than a "Marketing" or "Societal Marketing" concept.)