After questioning himself for several years as to why some people are lucky in life in general, while others seem to have been born under less favorable auspices, the author and professor of psychology Christophe Haag has drawn several conclusions that found in his new book.

Luck is the word that we would like to appropriate. Whether it is to have a lucky hand in gambling, to be lucky in business, in love and to stay away from disasters, or health problems, this is what we would all like. However, we know that it is unlikely to be constantly lucky. However, if we could find a way to attract more luck into our lives, we would obviously all be in for it.

“I investigated the question for three years,” reveals author Christophe Haag, who adds that chance never strikes by chance any more than lightning apparently.

In order to write her book, the author met several people who were luckier than others, starting with Annette, the only survivor of a Vietnam Airlines commercial plane crash who spent eight days alone. in the Vietnamese jungle before being rescued. She had both legs broken and a punctured lung. “This woman has incredible mental strength,” he says. Obviously, this tragedy completely transformed her. His advice: don't play the victim, even when there is little hope.

“I went to explore extraordinary universes in order to better understand our daily life which can seem ordinary”, underlines the author who also met people to whom life has not given a gift.

Stop the victimization

Thus, stopping playing the victim and complaining when things go wrong is among the many tips found in his book, because blaming fate, life or others for your own misfortunes leads nowhere. The first thing to do is to take responsibility and know how to take charge.

According to the author, the word failure should not exist, even for the athlete who due to stress or anxiety related to a competition has missed an opportunity to win. But that won't stop the mind of a winner from evoking their defeat as an opportunity to do better next time.

In principle, luck comes and goes for most people and even for those who have been lucky for many years, the author believes that it can leave us overnight. So, you have to learn how to maintain it. It's all a matter of mindset.

♦ Christophe Haag is a teacher-researcher in social psychology.

♦ He is also the author of the book, The Emotional Contagion.