Originally published on January 19th, 2013.

Rick Spence (@RickSpence) wrote a great article on luck for ProfitGuide; 7 Ways to Make Your Own Luck for 2013.  The article was clearly written for business professionals, but what is amazing is the first 5 points apply to our hobby.

1) Believe in luck. You may think of luck as random chance, but Seneca, the Roman politician, and philosopher pointed out that it can be controlled. Luck, he said, “is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

This is where organizing your sweepstakes increases your odds of winning.

2) Canadian humourist and economist Stephen Leacock (or possibly Thomas Jefferson—historians differ) simplified the concept even further. “I’m a great believer in luck,” Leacock said. “And I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

This is where entering on a daily basis increases your odds of winning.

3) Many people seem to encounter good luck because they actively seek out opportunities to win. They constantly put their best efforts into meeting new prospects, bidding on contracts, experimenting with product and service innovation or applying for awards.

This is going to websites that list legitimate sweepstakes for you to enter and finding new promotions.

4) Know the odds. In your business, you need consistent small wins to maintain confidence, but you also need breathtaking, long-shot objectives that require immense effort and get everyone on the team excited. Balance the effort you put into the easy victories and the big ones.

It only takes WON to WIN!  Once we won the grand prize where I only entered for six weeks out of a six-month period. There were over 160,000 unique entrants and over 15,000,000 entries over the course of the promotion. Enter anyway as today may be your lucky day!

5) Winners are often determined by sheer luck; sometimes the margin of difference is minuscule. Think of a World Cup hockey game that ends in a shootout or an Olympic sprinter or skier who wins the gold medal by less than a tenth of a second. Make sure your team stays motivated to perform by understanding the difference between finishing second and being a loser.

This tip applies to voting contests (which I hate) and judged contests. If you never know what will appeal to the judges. Do your best and you just might have the winning photograph or the blue ribbon pie.

Are you making your own luck?