Last week (linked if you missed it) was the second of four posts on how to create your own luck. It was all about how to use Understanding, Uniqueness, and Utilization to create your own luck. This week is how to use Curiosity, Competence and Caring. This “L U C K” acronym is a fun way to remember them!
Curiosity
Cultivating your curiosity brings luck in so many areas. When you step back and look at challenges with a curious and open perspective, instead of assuming that you know all of the answers, it opens up many possibilities for creative and new ideas. I learned about the idea of “beginner’s mind” as part of Japanese Zen many years ago; the term is Shoshin (Wikipedia linked). Shifting from knowing or assuming to an attitude of curiosity will grow your luck in both relationships and in problem solving.
Competence
Focusing on striving to be the best at whatever you do will grow your luck. Learning all you can about a topic, asking lots of good questions and listening well to those with more experience will grow your competence and ability to be in the right place at the right time!
Caring
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – John Maxwell
A self centered or arrogant expert limits their luck by shutting down others’ input and ideas that may add to an even better solution. Authentically caring about others will shift them to want to give you input for more creative ideas. Caring does not mean you never give bad news or hold others accountable. The difference is in how the message is delivered, focusing on the issue while still caring about the person. You’ll feel lucky to be around people who do this well!
photo credit: egazelle via Flickr creative commons