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Suzanne, from Northern Illinois University, told Bored Panda that "life has a funny way of confirming our self-biases." What we believe tends to come true. It's a type of self-fulfilling prophecy.
"If we believe we're going to fail at something, we've already set ourselves up for failure. Believing that we carry bad luck around like a cloud gives us a reason not to do our best, not to try our hardest, and to make it 'okay' to fail. While we'd think that a strong belief in good luck would work totally in our favor, there are drawbacks to this belief, too," she said that it is vital to take responsibility for our actions.
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"When we don't take ownership of our good choices, our effective actions, or our hard work, we are selling ourselves short. It's true that sometimes circumstances can 'work in our favor,' or we can meet the right person at the right time, but we still need to recognize our own part in taking advantage of positive circumstances or setting things up so that we can succeed."
Suzanne told Bored Panda that someone who believes that luck dictates how their efforts turn out gives up their sense of control over making things happen in their own lives. "If we have an internal locus of control, we see ourselves as agentic in our world—we know that we can make things happen and we take ownership of both our good decisions and our poor decisions. But this lets us learn from our decisions—how to continue to do things that work out for us and how to avoid things that do not. An external locus of control sets us up to be 'victims' of life or luck," she said.
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"Research suggests that the people who have 'good luck' are just being more aware of their surroundings, making smart decisions based on current conditions, and actually 'believe' that good things will happen for them. That's a positive bias in our favor—we look for the good, so we're more likely to see it."
Financial expert Sam Dogen, the founder of Financial Samurai, previously explained to Bored Panda what to do if you happen to luck out and win the lottery.
“Everybody has either a money problem or a money desire. If the winner doesn’t magnanimously share their winnings with family members and friends, they will be seen as selfish and greedy,” he told us that the people closest to the winner can end up pestering them for cash.
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“I’m all about Stealth Wealth. If you win the lottery, do your best to keep it a secret. Furthermore, if you win the lottery at work or in your investments, never brag about how much you make either. Instead, try to blend in as much as possible. You can always then be more generous with your money if you wish, without expectations,” Sam stressed that subtlety and humility are the best ways forward.
“The first thing to do is sit on your winnings for at least three months and live your life as usual. During this time, read as much financial literature online from sources who have no interest in your money. For example, you can come to Financial Samurai to learn about a proper net worth asset allocation to help ensure your wealth lasts longer,” he said that you shouldn’t be making any major moves
“Once you get educated and have formulated a good idea of what you want to do, you can then seek professional advice from a fee-based financial advisor. Or, you can implement your capital allocation yourself. Take your time! There is no rush. You just won the lottery!”
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On the flip side, life might deal you some very bad cards from the moment you’re born. You might fall victim to unfortunate accidents and traumatic events.
"As human beings, we have a desire for certainty and routine that keeps us feeling safe and able to plan what lies ahead in an organized manner. When unpredictable situations or accidents impact us, it can be traumatic, and we will likely feel a sense of disappointment, frustration, and loss," psychologist Lee Chambers explained to Bored Panda earlier.
"It is important however that we embrace the fact that the world can be unpredictable and uncertain, and become more tolerant of this being a reality. Understanding that things are sometimes out of our control helps us to accept that not everything goes to plan, and accept when things happen to us that are negative,” he said.
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“This acceptance allows us to embrace the change and difference, and manage our expectations so we can become more resilient to the ups and downs that all our lives lead,” the mental health expert told us.
"Post-traumatic growth isn't always simple to explain or utilize, but often the adversity we face can create a precedent for what we can overcome, help us to see what we need to be grateful for, and give us an understanding of the support we do have,” he noted that not everyone grows resilient when they’re confronted with bad luck.
“A big part of opening the door to grow from our struggles is finding acceptance and taking ownership over what you can control and finding healthy ways to express the negative emotion that comes with challenges that test us.”
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Psychologist Lee explained that people are incredibly resilient and can learn to overcome all odds. For instance, he himself had to learn to walk again.
"Using journaling and talking about how I felt played a significant part in my recovery when I had to learn to walk again, and gave me the space to grow to become mentally stronger as a result,” he shared what helped him back then.
“It is also important to reflect on all the hurdles you've overcome, so you can see what skills and lessons you've learned to apply in the future, and adversity often helps us to see what really matters, and gets us closer to knowing our values and purpose."
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