“You’re so lucky!”

This phrase gets thrown around a lot when others share good news, big plans, or positive things in their lives. We are quick to attribute positives to luck, while we may be more likely to attribute negatives to our own personal shortcomings. While there are some situations and blessings that just drop into our laps, many times the things that appear to be “just luck” are the results of determined work and focus.

Create your own luck this year!

What areas do you find yourself constantly wishing were different in your life? What situations prompt your own “You’re so lucky!” response? Do you want to travel more? Get out of debt? Own a home? Things like that don’t happen overnight, but if it’s something you truly want in your life, you can start taking steps to make it happen.

Most importantly, you’ll need to do some soul-searching. Are the things you want in your life the result of envying others, or are they things you truly feel will enrich your life? In order to really commit to long-term change, you have to be internally motivated.

There is always someone out there who has more, does more, is better-looking, etc; if you base your success on what you see in other people’s lives you will always be chasing something more.

Really envision what it would be like to have this change in your life. Flesh out the picture with detail — what would be different? How would it look? What would you be doing, and how might the other important people in your life react? It takes time and practice to be able to change existing habits or set in place new ones.

Allow yourself to break your overall goal into smaller, more easily attainable steps and focus on only one at a time, and then celebrate your small successes along the way. Figure out what you want and what it takes to get it, and this just may be your luckiest year yet!

Molly Halbrooks, LAMFT
mhalbrooks@growcounseling.com