With spring in the air, new beginnings on the horizon and celebrations brewing, March is one of the best months the year. Yes, it’s still cold and wet most of the time in the northern parts of the northern hemisphere; but the days are getting longer as we cross Spring Equinox on the 20^th, chocolate is on sale, and St. Patrick’s day is just around the corner! Those of us who only know St Paddy’s day for spirited fun, leprechauns and green beer might be wondering just who is St. Patrick, and what is this holiday all about? What are shamrocks, why are the Irish associated with luck? Can we borrow make or borrow some luck? Let’s dive in! 

History of St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17^th, the day that St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is believed to have died in the 5^th century AD. It was originally observed as a religious holiday to pay tribute to St. Patrick, who spread Christianity to Ireland. Today, St. Patrick’s Day is a day of social and cultural significance, celebrated in many parts of the world with parades, revelry, music, dancing, food, and family and friends coming together to enjoy Irish heritage and culture.

Who was St. Patrick?  

Responsible for converting Ireland to Christianity in the 5^th century, St. Patrick is an important figure of religion in Irish history.

He was born in Roman Britain as Maewyn Succat. At around age 16, he was abducted by Irish pirates from his costal home in Britain, brought to Ireland, enslaved and made work as a shepherd. After six years of captivity, he managed to escape. The trip back home was a harrowing experience and left a deep impression, but luckily, he finally made it. He believed that he was protected by God, who provided him with strength and delivered him safety home.

Upon returning home, he had a dream where God called on him to spread the gospel – not just anywhere, but of all places – in Ireland. He spent the next 15 years at a monastery in Britain to become a priest and changed his name to Patricus. Then, back to Ireland he went, to the land of his captivity. At the time, Ireland was a largely pagan country, so spreading a foreign religion was no easy task. Nevertheless, he was eventually successful, and is said to have used the three-leaf shamrock to explain the holy trinity to the Irish people.

The Shamrock vs. the four-leaf clover 

Legend entails that St. Patrick used the shamrock (three leaf clover) to explain to the Irish people the concept of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). The three-leaf clover is not to be confused with the four-leaf clover – the latter was more rare and regarded by the Celts as a charm against evil spirits. To this day, we regard the four-leaf clover as a lucky charm, and the shamrock and four-leaf clover are both associated with St. Patrick’s Day and the landscapes of the Emerald Isle. 

While the three-leaf clover symbolized the Holy Trinity, the four-leaf clovers is believed to represent faith, hope, love and luck. It is said that there are more four-leaf clovers in Ireland than anywhere else Earth, thus giving meaning to the phrase “the luck of the Irish.”

Luck of the Irish

Today, “the luck of the Irish” is generally used to express good fortune or wish someone well, but t’was not always so. In the mid 19^th century, during the gold and silver rush in the United States, the phrase was used to disparage Irish immigrants who ventured to America to find work during a time of famine. Irish miners yielded good results in the mines – this attracted the discontent of other miners, who used the phrase to imply that those fortunes were merely due to luck, rather than actual effort.

Over time, the phrase took a turn and became positive. The Irish became recognized for their hard work, determination and optimism. Now, “luck of the Irish” is used to describe good fortune, and is associated with the Irish people’s resilience, cleverness, friendliness and positive outlook in the face of adversity. As it turns out, sometimes, luck can be change through some hard work and perseverance.

How to be lucky: 7 ways to make your own luck 

Whether you believe luck is a blessing sprinkled from above, an occurrence through random chance, or a result of hard work and resourcefulness, one thing is for sure – we want more of it in every aspect of our lives.    

There are several methods to attract luck. We can get on good graces of supernatural spirits and appeal for their blessings (schmooze any leprechauns and fairies you spy), out-win probability and statistics, or make our own fortune through forces we can control. There’s a good chance that supernatural beings are too busy minding their own business to deign us with their blessing, and the odds of beating the god of luck at its own game probably slim. That leaves taking matters into our own hands. 

If we interpret luck as a product of our attitudes and actions, then there’s a good chance that we can influence our own with a bit of hard work, preparation and positive thinking. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day and the spirit of Irish luck, here are 7 ways we can position ourselves to get luckier, or get ready to act when luck comes our way.

1.    Set clear goals

Studies show that goal-setting, success and luck are closely related, as they all play a role in achieving desired outcome and success in life. When we set clear goals about what we want to attract and achieve, our likelihood of success increases because having clear goals help us focus our effort and energy towards achieving those objectives. With crystal clear targets in mind, we are more likely to take actions that align with our goals and stay motivated in the face of obstacles and setbacks.

The psychologist Richard Wiseman, who wrote the book “The Luck Factor”, studied the habits and behaviours of people who considered themselves lucky and compared them to people who considered themselves unlucky. He found that those who considered themselves lucky were more likely to set clear goals and take action towards achieving them. 

He also found that those who considered themselves lucky tended to be more optimistic, open to new experiences and proactive in seeking opportunities, while unlucky people were more likely to be anxious, rigid in their thinking, and focused on negative experiences. (More on this below!)

The first thing to do to catch some luck? Sharpen our goals, our pencils, and jot those goals down!

2.    Visualize

Another way to improve our luck is to visualize ourselves as if we are lucky and already have the things we want in life. This may sound like hippie science, but it is supported by research and makes a lot of sense when we break it down to action and reaction.

Visualization is the process of creating a mental image of a desired outcome. Research suggests that visualization can have a powerful impact on our thoughts and behaviours. That is because when we visualize a specific outcome, our brain begins to form new neural pathways associated with that outcome. By visualizing success and good luck, we focus our minds on positive outcome, which increases motivation and confidence – this in turn allows us to clarify our goals and identify the steps we need to take in order to achieve them. Visualizing guides our actions and decisions, helps us stay focused and maintain a positive mindset in the face of obstacles and set back, and builds our resilience and optimism. With that in mind, let’s conjure up images of ourselves happy as a clam, living the life of our dreams.

3.    Be proactive and take calculated risks

As powerful as visualization can be, without action, it’s kind just hallucination. This is where taking action and risks come in. Action gives us momentum and taking a risk can lead to unexpected opportunities and favourable outcomes.

As the old adage goes, “Fortune favours the bold”. The phrase originates from Latin “audentes Fortuna iuvat” which means “fortune helps those who dare”. The idea behind the proverb is that taking bold and courageous actions can lead to good fortune or success. It encourages people to be brave and proactive, rather than waiting for success to come to them. As the phrase implies, those who are willing to risks and act boldly are more likely to experience success and good luck, while those who are passive, indecisive and hesitant to take action may be waiting a long time before a favourable opportunity comes. When we take smart risks, we can create opportunities for ourselves that increase our chances of achieving success.

Of course, risk-taking exposes us to the possibility of positive and negative outcomes; therefore, to maximize the chance of success while minimizing negative outcomes, it’s important to be calculated and informed. This involves gathering information, evaluating potential outcomes, and developing a plan to improve the odds of success and diminish downsides. Therefore, let’s be bold and courageous, but deliberate and calculated all at the same time. That’s totally doable, right? 

4.    Effort & persistence

To create fortune, nothing compares to hard work and perseverance. If luck is analogous to success, then effort and persistence are important factors. Hard work creates opportunities that otherwise might not exist and perseverance in the face of obstacles pays off. By putting in the time and effort to develop skills, build relationships and pursue goals, we increase our odds of success and become better prepared to act on unexpected opportunities and good fortunes that come our way.

As many of those who have studied the subject say, often, luck is not simply a matter of chance, but the result of being prepared and ready to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. To that end, the work we put in to expand our knowledge and skills helps us grow, succeed, make informed decisions, and it has a lot to do with us being in the right place, at the right time, meet the right person, or be selected for the perfect job or project.

"The harder I work, the luckier I get." - Gary Player

5.    Reframe setbacks as opportunities in disguise 

Setback are a natural part of any process. When mistakes happen, learning from them and using them to foster our growth goes a long way to improve the odds of favourable outcome in the future. Though they can be difficult to deal with, most failures and obstacles provide plenty of opportunities for growth.

By framing setbacks as opportunities and good fortune in disguise, we inch closer to success. Failure provides valuable feedback about what works and what doesn’t, helps refine our approach and strategies, and develops resilience, our ability to bounce back and keep moving forward – all attributes that are essential to achieving success in the long run. By embracing the unlucky as lucky, we become more strategic in our approach, learn to navigate around what doesn’t work, and gain resilience and positive outlook, making us smarter and luckier in the future. Most importantly, by maintaining a healthy attitude, we stay motivated and see opportunities that might otherwise be missed.

6.    Be creative

Creativity can open many lucky doors and unlock many positive opportunities. It leads to new ideas and innovative solutions to problems, which can help us succeed in new and unexpected ways. Creativity allows us to be more flexible and adaptable in a fast changing world; by being open to new ways of doing things, we can better navigate any unexpected challenges that arise.

In competitive fields, creativity can differentiate us from competitors by offering unique ways to serve and carve out a niche. Most importantly, creative expression is personally fulfilling – this fuels positivity which is important to success and fortune in a many of domains. 

7.    Optimism

Finally, as you have probably gathered so far, one of the most important aspects of luck may be optimism, the hopefulness and positive attitude that allow us to recognize lucky opportunities and stay motivated, even when we encounter challenges. By cultivating optimism, we increase our likelihood of good luck and success.

As such, people are naturally drawn to positivity, which means that optimistic individuals are more likely to enjoy strong networks and relationships that lead to favourable opportunities. Optimism also allows us to recognize and capitalize on lucky breaks that may otherwise be overlooked. It enables resilience, confidence and gratitude, all things that allow us to take smart risks, pursue opportunities, appreciate the good things in life and recognize how lucky we are.

 

 

Returning to Dr. Wiseman’s study on the science of luck and how individuals can catch more luck, it often comes down mindset, personality and behaviour. Lucky people tend to be optimistic, open to new experiences, resilient in the face of adversity, seeing the positive in difficult situations. They have a strong network of social connections, are more observant and pay attention to details that others may overlook. They also tend to take more risks and pursue opportunities with confidence, all of which leads to – you guessed it – more lucky outcome.

All of this suggests that luck is not just a matter of chance, but a combination of preparation, opportunity, taking proactive steps and maintaining a positive mindset. By cultivating these traits in ourselves, we’ll be able to increase our luck. And, if all else fails, remember to chin up, keep your eyes peeled for leprechauns and friendly fairies and buy them an apple cake, or a drink!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Sláinte.