Teaching Children to be Lucky and Happy: Characteristic #4

Lucky people have an ability to turn their bad luck into good fortune.

There are obstacles and disappointments in everyone’s lives. Being lucky doesn´t mean you eliminate them all. It has to do with how we look at them. Dr. Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor, found three particular commonalities in lucky people’s management of tough moments. They:

1. Can “always look on the bright side of life” as the Monty Python song suggests. Even when things don’t turn out the way they planned, lucky people are able to find something positive about the experience. This often comes by thinking of how the results could have been worse. Although this may seem like a gloomy point of view, it is also one that can lead to perspective on a situation.
2. Decide that any bad luck will eventually work out for the best. Because they have seen positive outcomes come from a seemingly negative result, they trust that something good will come from this as well.
3. Do not dwell on their ill fortune. Lucky people don´t allow themselves to become overwhelmed by negative outcomes. By keeping their minds focused on the positive, they are less stressed and more open to future opportunities.
4. Work to avoid future bad luck. They don’t just accept the rejection or failure, they analyze why it happened and take steps to prevent it from reoccurring.

“Each misfortune you encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow's good luck.”
Og Mandino

Activities to Try with Your Children

Lemons to Lemonade
In her blog Raising Happiness, Christine Carter talks about playing this game with her children. Start by throwing out an event that seems negative. Ask your child to respond by identifying something positive that could come from it. For example: “Your baseball game gets rained out.” “We could stay home and make chocolate chip cookies!” Take turns with your child throwing out events and turning the lemons into lemonade.

Modify Behavior
Even though we can´t control others, we can control out actions and reactions. When children have a problem or conflict, ask them to identify how they could change their behavior to avoid this situation in the future. As a follow up, remind them of their idea the next time they enter into a similar situation.

Don´t Dwell
Although it is healthy to acknowledge feelings, it is not helpful to wallow in self-pity. Help your child take action to feel better. Go watch a funny movie together or go outside for a walk. If your child is worried about something or has a problem, help him feel empowered by taking an immediate small action toward improving the situation.