Is It Luck or Brains?

By Susan “Honey” Good

I wear my red kabbalah string. I wear a gold good luck piece around my neck.

Of the two lucky items, my red kabbalah string is far more significant in its meaning. I do believe at times good luck knocks on our doors… a chance happening, a force, causes good things to appear.

I believe, in 99% of instances, you and I must make our own good luck.

Nevertheless, I continue to wear my red string and my gold charm around my neck. My red kabbalah string is truly comforting; guards and protects me (in my mind) and reminds me to always ‘be aware’ of the force of luck lurking around my corner. It makes me listen to my inner feelings.

My gold charm is lovely to look at with its many lucky charms embedded into its circular disc. A four leaf clover, an elephant, a horseshoe, an evil eye, the Arabic good luck sign, a heart and a number 13. I don’t feel strongly about it but I figure, every bit of luck helps. I am very attached to a tiny gold Chai (meaning long life in Hebrew) hanging on the same connecter, a gift from my brother, Scott, brought back from Jerusalem. My good luck pieces feed my spirit. They do not bring me luck.

People, circumstances my attitude and my brain bring me luck. And dear readers, people and circumstances and your attitude and brains do the same for you.

At this passage in our lives, we have to keep our eyes, ears and minds open to the suggestions and advice of others for some will shed information that will impact our lives and bring us good fortune. That is, if we listen and act. The source does not have to be a person we know well or a person at all. It can be an article we read or a speaker we hear or even a visual we see.

One of my close friends, Tova, said to me a few weeks ago, “It is not what you know, it is who you know.” She was referring to medical situations. Who you know, not what you know, dear readers, may save your life and bring you luck, a long life. Use your brains.

We are informed by doctors we should have a yearly mammogram, a once a year body skin check with our dermatologist, a yearly physical and a routine chest x-ray. You initiate your own luck by being proactive. Your life is in your hands. Use your brains.

Listening to others and being proactive has saved my life more than a few times. Did I look at my red string, the charm around my neck and ask God to bless me. I sure did. But it was my brains that thrust me into my luck, not my good luck pieces.

On the issue of dating for those of you widowed or divorced or never married… you are your own good luck charm. Don’t turn down a date. You may meet someone other than your blah date that evening. Keep yourself fit, informed and spirited and most importantly…be a good picker. Don’t rush. It is the most important decision you will make in your life. Use your brains.

A wonderful land or cruise vacation is not guaranteed by luck. You have to do your research. I suggest not using some travel agent behind a computer who has probably traveled less than you. Ask traveled friends for the name of their travel agent. If you enjoy the same type of travel ask friends or acquaintances, you respect, for restaurant and hotel suggestions. My southern friend, Norma Jean, taught me how to persuade the clerk, in every hotel, how to get ‘a room with a view.’ We are never too old to ask and never too old to learn, dear readers. Just use your brains.

We all love our good luck pieces, as we should. But we must be frank with ourselves: We cannot wait for good things to happen to us. I do believe, as stated above, we make our own good luck.

I am quite certain you have looked at another person and said to yourself, “She is so lucky.” Well maybe she is but so can you be lucky because I think we all get a chance to get lucky in life.

My tips:

1. Feel more than you think. Listen to your inner voice, your intuition.
2. Venture out. Meet and greet. Who knows who you may meet?
3. Focus. Work on friendships, happy marriage, and close relationships with children.
4. Try. Try things. Let your energy flow. Be open to possibilities.
5. Trust. Trust people. Listen and learn and then act.
6. Belief. Believe in yourself. Your inner strength, your resiliency.
7. Curiosity. Be curious about everything. Be an explorer.
8. Proactive. Stay healthy by being proactive.
9. Optimism.  Optimistic people create a lot of good luck. People who feel they are lucky actually are lucky. Shoot for the moon.
10. Gratitude. Last but not least a lucky woman is a grateful woman. Our life is not a rite, it is a gift.

Dear readers of mine, we will all continue to wear or carry are good luck objects. They are our comfort, like crossing our fingers when we need luck or praying “please dear God let all be well in our family.” We all want a little bloomin’ luck.’ So wear your good luck pieces but when glancing at them, think about your lifestyle and how ‘you’ can add another dimension of luck to your life.

Susan “Honey” Good is the founder of HoneyGood.com where this blog originally appeared. The site is a collection of lessons learned, life advice and insights from not only her, but from a fantastic group of contributing writers, each adding their own spice to the recipe. Honey Good.com representing “a family tree of women” — wives, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, sisters, aunts, cousins and girlfriends — coming together to talk about what makes them tick as well as what they have in common. Honey Good discusses life experiences with wisdom, humor and intellect, enabling all to attain a “Honey Good Style of Life.”