4 Ways to Make Your Own Luck

Aside from compelling us to wear green, St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity to think about how we approach luck. If you want to carve your own path and break through barriers, it’s important to hone your strengths and be ready to take action when fortune is in your favor. The great news is that you can design a life that will have you pinching yourself every day and create opportunities for others along the way.

So go for gold this St. Patty’s Day and all year long. With advice from world-class instructors, you already have luck on your side. The rest is up to you—and you’ve got this.

Show up as a superhero

At any point in your career path, you have the opportunity to reinvent yourself. That’s the personal belief that guided Peloton Head Instructor and NYT bestselling author Robin Arzón as she transitioned from high-powered lawyer to iconic wellness expert. “As long as you’re stepping into your power, there’s no age limit on that,” she says. 

It’s important to take stock of your current situation. Ask yourself whose definition of success is driving you. You can also try Robin’s approach of replaying your life story in the third person to realize the incredible strength you’ve already demonstrated—and how you might apply that to other fields and professions. Robin also suggests doing a spiritual, financial, and physical audit to determine where you are and where you want to go.

“The literal process of telling yourself your own life story like somebody would be telling you the script in a movie is incredibly important,” she explains. “Writing it in the third person, it might feel really strange. Then you realize, I can do a lot and I had moments of pure grit, and I’m still here.”

Finally, share your new goals with people who will uplift and encourage you. If you don’t have a close-knit community yet, work on nurturing one and remember that your community is never finite. You can always create your own family of people who want to see you excel. 

Reframe how you see power

Power is intrinsic to relationships, which are a key factor in your career and your personal trajectory. World-renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel focuses on the importance of understanding power dynamics as you navigate relationships and the world around you. If you want to expand your possibilities, take a fresh look at how you relate to people in your everyday circles.

“How do we handle power in relationships?” she says. “And how do we understand what we can do with that generative power—and what can be done destructively with power? Those are the big questions that all relationships ask.”

Before you move forward, you need to understand whether a relationship presents power over or power to. The first can be oppressive and exploitive; the second can be collaborative and fruitful. Identify how you are using your own power and analyze how power dynamics affect you in the workplace and at home. If you need to rebalance—if you feel like you have less power or influence than you’d like in your job, for example—consider how much you bring to the table and how you can share that with people in positions of power. This may require a closer look at the culture of your organization. How do people raise questions and concerns or share ideas? Watch your manager and how they respond to others. Pay attention to power structures and determine how to push boundaries and make space for you and others to thrive. 

Design your personal brand

How do you want the world to see you? What are your core values? Building a personal brand can be a journey of self-discovery. In media mogul Kris Jenner’s class on MasterClass, she shares ideas for developing a brand built on who you are and what you love most. To get started, spend time reflecting on what makes you happiest. That’s where you’ll shine. 

Here are Kris’s steps for crafting a personal brand:

• Figure out your “why.” Seek out your purpose. Find activities that motivate you, capture your interest, and come naturally to you. Branding is all about communicating, so you’ll want to choose a path that sparks your passion to the extent that you can talk about it and share it with the world.
• Be authentic. Branding opens up so many possibilities, but it’s important that you choose ideas that feel true to who you are. If you create a lifestyle that you think will resonate with others but doesn’t suit how you live, you’ll run into roadblocks in the long term.
• Create a vision board. When you decide to build a brand around who you are, think about where you want to land. What does it look like? What are you doing every day? Determine how you want to spend your time and visualize it through images, quotes, and illustrations that speak to you. You can do this on a smartphone, a laptop, or a piece of poster board. You could even try creating a logo for inspiration.
• Think about your story and do your homework. What is your direction? Who is your audience? What social media platforms will help you connect with people who are most likely to love what you’re sharing? Do the research and look for white spaces within the industry you’re most drawn to so you can set yourself up for success.

Emphasize your value and negotiate for what you deserve

Trailblazing journalist Robin Roberts pursued her dream relentlessly, eventually landing high-profile jobs in TV—first with ESPN and then as co-anchor of Good Morning America. Along the way, she learned to communicate her value and talk through how her goals could meet the needs of her organization when she asked for new opportunities. “It’s got to be a win-win situation,” she says.

Here are the dos and don’ts she shared with her big sister when she was headed into a new contract:

• Do negotiate. Know your worth. Convince the person you’re talking to of the value of your work and your creative ideas.
• Don’t feel that you’re entitled. You’re asking for a raise or promotion because you’re the right person for that job, not because your boss owes it to you. You’re making the ask because you’ve earned it. Own that. 

How did it work out? Robin’s sister got the raise. “She deserved it, and that’s it,” Robin says. “She’s the person who got herself that raise, by her ability.”

Looking for more techniques to design a career you’ll love, land a promotion, or negotiate your pay? Find unlimited opportunities to grow with 185+ world-class instructors on MasterClass.

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