Why would it not? How would discouraging myself help my performance?
Even if "luck" isn't real in any objective sense, self-encouragement could still have a measurable effect simply because it changes how willing we are to act.
Imagine you wake up convinced that today is going to be a lucky day. You smile more, take more chances, start conversations, apply for the job you've been putting off, or finally make that phone call.
Even if "luck" itself has nothing to do with it, your behavior has already changed.
Do you think simply expecting something good can create better outcomes?
Or do you think that's just another way people fool themselves?
Why would it not? How would discouraging myself help my performance?
Even if "luck" isn't real in any objective sense, self-encouragement could still have a measurable effect simply because it changes how willing we are to act.
It may also lead to disappointment.
expectations lead to disappointment but self encouragement and building self confidence doesn't
I guess the challenge is finding a balance where optimism motivates you to act without turning into unrealistic expectations.
I always to say the most obvious thing : good things attracts good things. It has always worked for me but I can understand it’s difficult
That's interesting. Do you think it's because good things literally attract more good things, or because they put you in a mindset where you notice and create more opportunities?
this is interesting because the framing also can affect one's drive, i.e so and so is lucky/unlucky because X I think this is why gratitude is so valuable, because unlike focusing on luck, we can be grounded in being grateful for what "good luck" has come our way
I like that distinction. Gratitude looks backward at what already happened, while optimism looks forward to what might happen. I wonder if they influence behavior in different ways.
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Check out the Law of Assumption! It is basically similar to what you're saying. Assuming you're lucky, or that something good is gonna happen, actually makes it happen. I firmly believe this
I've heard of it, although I was thinking about it from a more behavioral perspective. Even if there's nothing "mystical" happening, believing you're likely to succeed could still change the decisions you make throughout the day. That's the part I find fascinating.
It will not actively change the outcome of future events through some magical or quantum quirk. However, it will change how you frame things in your head and can help to increase the positivity in your life. I think that believing in the possibility of a good outcome is essential to actually achieving the outcome because of mindset.
I think that's an important distinction. The interesting question to me isn't whether belief changes reality, but whether it changes the number of opportunities we actually create for ourselves. If two people face the same day, but one starts it expecting something good while the other expects nothing to work out, I wouldn't be surprised if their outcomes gradually diverge just because they behave differently.
It increases your success chance but also increases the danger of failure. When you commit, all in, on an action, your performance increases. If you throw a punch then back it off at the end you'll hurt your hand. If instead you put your entire bodies weight behind it your punch has staggering effect. If you miss the first one nothing happens. If you miss the second you smash into the wall at high speed. Likewise with all things.
Maybe optimism isn't about guaranteeing success, but about making people commit more fully to the opportunities they already have. Of course that also means accepting a greater chance of failure, but without taking that risk it's hard to imagine many good outcomes happening at all.
Is it really luck or were you already putting yourself in the best position to receive luck? Blue Lock is a japanese manga about soccer that revolved around the themes of ego and selfishness as opposed to most modern sports media the have themes of teamwork. In one of the matches, Isagi, the protagonist of the story and a striker places himself in the best possible position for a stroke of ‘luck’. The soccer gods answer him and a random kick places the ball right in front of him and shoots it and scores a game winning goal for his team. Now is this luck or did he put himself in the highest probability area for the ball to land? Would he have received luck if he was a couple meters away from where the ball would land? If he didn’t believe the ball would be coming to him would he have scored the goal? “My motto is, if you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy a ticket” Lou Bloom, Nightcrawler
It makes me wonder whether what we call "luck" is sometimes just probability meeting preparation. The opportunity may arrive randomly, but whether we're in a position to benefit from it depends a lot on our earlier decisions.
I think the issue is for those of us who used to have that feeling, and work towards a better world, only to have kindness and effort rewarded with poison. The keen edge we had becomes chipped and jaded. The reward for our outlook was betrayal. That wound can take a long time,and a skilled expert to anneal and sharped. We can return to our old way of striving for better but it is not easy in those circumstances.
I really like the way you described that. It reminds me that optimism isn't just a personality trait ... it can also depend on past experiences. If someone repeatedly gets hurt after taking chances, it makes sense that expecting good outcomes becomes much harder, even if it might still be helpful.