Remember that day when everything was perfect? You had positive momentum. Everything you touched turned into something good. If you were a golfer on that day you were the master of your sport. Your shots were long and accurate. Your putts were right on the money. On that day as a salesperson everyone said yes. As a CEO your company was profitable in all areas. As a manager your people were motivated and productive. As a parent your family was in complete harmony. How well you remember that totally lucky day. On that day your life was truly a celebration.

Now think about the other kind of day. You know what that was like. Nothing seemed to go quite right. The harder you tried the worse it got. On that day even your favorite chocolate didn't taste so good.

What can you now do to have more of those lucky days? You can create your own luck and here's how to do it. According to psychologist Richard Wiseman, these four principles can create good fortune in your life and your career. 1. Maximize Chance Opportunities: Lucky people are skilled at creating, noticing, and "acting" upon chance opportunities.
2. Listen to Your Lucky Hunches: Lucky people make effective decisions by listening to their intuition and gut feelings.
3. Expect Good Fortune: Lucky people are certain that the future will be bright. Over time that expectation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
4. Turn Bad Luck Into Good: Lucky people imagine how things could have been worse. They don't dwell on their ill fortune. They take control of the situation.

Benjamin Zander tells this story. The president of a bank was having an important meeting with his loan officers. Suddenly an employee who was frustrated with a new client burst into the room. He began shouting and banging his fist on the desk. The bank president said, "George, please remember Rule Number 6." George became totally calm, apologized, and left the room. The bankers returned to their meeting and a short while later a secretary came in and began yelling loudly about a problem she was having. The bank president said, "Mary, please remember Rule Number 6." Mary also became calm, smiled, and left. The loan officers were stunned. Someone asked, " What in the world is Rule Number 6?" The bank president said, " Rule Number 6 is Don't take yourself so darn seriously." What are the other rules they asked? There aren't any. When we can lighten up, good luck can find us.

This is a good time to put yourself on the Good Luck Path. What do you intend to do? You have all heard the old saying: Most people spend more time planning their vacations than their lives. Try this--make a list of ten intentions for your new year. Not resolutions, but intentions! By using these principles you can become a "GOOD LUCK" magnet. Even your chocolate will have a new and wonderful flavor.

As Jackie Gleason Described Life -- "How Sweeeet It Is!"