Building Luck When Things Aren’t Coming Together

It’s easy to feel lucky when things are…well, feeling lucky. When everything is falling into place that lucky feeling also follows.

But we’re not just chasing a lucky feeling. We’re working toward a lucky life.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m broadening my definition of luck.

When we work to build the seven Lucky Practices, luck will follow.

But how do we do that when it doesn’t feel like it’s going well?

I’ve been in a little funk lately. Some of my projects are going so slowly, it feels like they’ve almost stalled out.

And this is the danger zone. When I feel like my efforts aren’t paying off, then I sometimes stall out.

But the truth is, if I stop working, of course the projects won’t succeed.

So I’m leaning in hard to the seven Lucky Practices in order to keep forward motion on these new projects I’ve started (including this Substack project).

Here’s what I’m doing:

Increasing my Right-Brain Awareness

My goal this week is no screens after 6pm. I need to slow my brain down so I can give it a chance to notice things.

I’m also going to pick back up the practice of morning pages.

By giving my brain screen-free space in the evenings and combining that with morning pages journaling, I’m increasing the opportunity for my brain to put together ideas in new ways.

As a bonus, both of these practices invite calm into my life. That calmness and awareness lay the groundwork for the other practices to have maximum impact.

Creating and Noticing Chance Opportunities

The world is full of opportunities, but when I’m in a funk or feeling down, it’s harder to see them. That means I need to be really intentional in seeking these opportunities.

I want to focus on making small, even tiny connections with other people this week. I’ve joined a few communities that focus on growing Substack newsletters and also a few other communities that center around projects I have going on, but I haven’t taken full advantage of those opportunities.

This week, I’m committing to diving into the communities in order to meet some people and make connections.

Tapping my Intuition

Morning pages and screen-free time will help with this, but I also want to remind myself of why I started these projects in the first place. I want to tap back into the intuition that led me to start and use that spark to keep myself going.

I’m a writer at heart. I’ve been writing online since 2006. First with a small poetry blog and then starting in 2008 with Eat at Home, a food blog I turned into a thriving business that’s still going.

Now I’m writing and researching new topics, building a new audience and creating new things. The intuition that led me to write all those years ago, is still leading me now.

Creating Upward Spirals of Positive Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

I’ll write more about this process next week and I think you will love it. It’s a process for stacking intentional actions together to create a plan that leads to growth and success.

I’ve created an upward spiral to follow for the project I’m working on. I want to revisit that plan and continue to follow it diligently.

Becoming Resilient

That’s what I’m doing now by leaning into the seven Lucky Practices.

I realize that getting out of a funk with a project is hardly the most difficult thing we need to overcome in life. However, funks happen frequently. For me, the occasional funk is something I deal with as part of the creative process.

And since funks come along regularly, they give me lots of opportunities to practice resilience. I’m determined to not let this funk cause me to go stagnant.

Cultivating Positivity

In order for me to move forward in a project, I need to have a positive attitude. Often that means intentionally cultivating the attitude I want to have and making the choice to not lean into the bad attitude.

This week, I’m making a list of my small wins. The tinier the win, the better, because that means I’m noticing more of the good all around me.

It’s easy to notice big wins, but takes more noticing and awareness to celebrate the small things.

Showing Up

Writing this post is part of my showing up consistently. I also started a brand new Instagram account as a different type of outlet and I’m committed to showing up there.

So, What Is It That I’m Building?

I’m writing a book about luck and forward motion in life, and I’m creating experiences that help women step into what’s next—through coaching, online events, and conversations that matter. This Substack is where I’m shaping those ideas and sharing the journey in real time. It’s all part of building How to Be Lucky into something that equips women who’ve raised families, built businesses and careers and are ready to flourish in what’s next.

What about you?

I’m sharing my practices here, but I want this to be a conversation. Tell me where you are showing up, creating opportunities, or finding small wins right now? Your story might be just the spark someone else needs.