Overcome anxiety by creating your own luck

A while back I was asked to recommend a replacement hypnotherapist at the centre where I was working, because I was making preparations to retire from in-person sessions. As I’m so passionate about the Solution Focused approach, my ideal replacement needed to be a fellow graduate of Clifton Practice Hypnotherapy Training (CPHT) and a member of our professional association, the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH). And of course, they needed to be reasonably close to the therapy centre.

Having searched via the AfSFH online therapy finder, I was surprised to find only two local hypnotherapists who fit the criteria. I was sure there should be more within a 20-mile radius, so I searched in a local business Facebook forum and identified a few other people who looked like they’d be ideal. Having popped their names into the AfSFH therapy finder, I discovered that they were indeed members of the association after all. But they hadn’t fully completed their member profile with their practice address, so my initial 20-mile radius search didn’t pick them up.

Fortunately, all’s well that ends well and I was able to recommend alternative Solution Focused hypnotherapists to the Centre owner. Result!

The point is, the therapists who’d not fully completed their online entries were missing a trick. If anyone was relying on the AfSFH therapy finder alone, they wouldn’t have identified these brilliant therapists. They’re not alone, of course. When I ran Therapists Marketing Solutions with my hypno buddy, we often came across examples where therapists were not exploiting their online presence to the full and so were missing out on potential clients. They were inadvertently sabotaging the success of their therapy practices. We, of course, encouraged them to plug all the online gaps and make the most of their memberships. In effect we were helping them to create their own luck.

And it’s the same in all walks of life.

Times are tough for most people these days and budgets are stretched. It’s easy to feel that you have no control over your finances. But there’s plenty you can do to squeeze the most from your income, in the same way the therapists could squeeze the most from their online directory entries. You could review all your contracts for your utilities, or make sure you remember to use your loyalty cards, or even get rewards for switching bank accounts. The master of this, of course, is Martin Lewis, who is so creative when it comes to making the most of your pennies. If you do nothing else to create your own financial luck, sign up to his regular emails via www.moneysavingexpert.com

When it comes to the world of work, have you ever noticed that it’s not always the people who work hardest that get on in their careers? It’s the people who get noticed that are more likely to get a promotion, or receive an extra pay rise or special bonus. One of the best tips I ever came across was to get in the habit of sending your line manger a weekly status email, outlining what you’ve achieved and what progress you’ve made on long-term projects. It sounds a bit creepy, but it’s a great way of getting yourself noticed and creating your own luck in the workplace.

And when it comes to your social life, here again it’s not helpful to be a passive participant. If you want a more fulfilling life away from the workplace then you need to put effort into maintaining existing relationships and / or developing new ones. It means creating your own luck in relationships by fully participating in conversations, listening to the other person and responding appropriately. Maybe you wish you could go out more, either with your partner or with a group of friends. Instead of waiting for them to suggest something, take the bull by the horns and invite them to do something with you. It needn’t cost the earth. A walk in the fresh air, or a coffee and a slice of cake is all that it takes.

There’s a brilliant professor at the University of Hertfordshire, Professor Richard Wiseman, who has conducted many studies about luck, and he has concluded that ultimately, it’s a question of mindset. If you feel lucky, you’ll spot opportunities and exploit them, if they fit your current aspirations. If you feel unlucky, you’re unlikely to spot an opportunity even if was broadcast in neon lights with a sign saying ‘<Your name.>, here’s your chance to do <xyz>.’

Professor Wiseman has even conducted experiments to show how differences in mindset can result in people missing blatant opportunities to their advantage.

People who feel unlucky are generally more anxious than people who feel luck is on their side. And this is because anxiety often arises when we feel we have no control. It can be so easy to convince ourselves that there’s nothing we can do about a situation. But when you decide to take action, when you decide to create your own luck, all the fear disappears. Because ultimately you are in control of how you respond to life’s ups and downs. You can either passively accept what life throws at you, or you can decide to do something to make a situation more beneficial.

So, if you want to reduce your anxiety, start by creating your own luck. Take a look around and see what opportunities are presenting themselves. And if they fit with where you want to be, grab those opportunities and squeeze every last bit of value from them.

Your future self will thank you.