Good luck

By Coert Coetzee

Sometimes I end my seminar with the words, “Good Luck!”

A few years ago after I had closed this way, someone came to me and complained about the words “Good Luck”. This person said that there is no such thing as good luck, that life is what you make of it and that these words were very inappropriate in light of the fact that my seminar would change people’s lives anyway. I listened to him and chose to say nothing, because I agreed and I disagreed, but that wasn’t the time and place to explain my point of view. The time has arrived now though, because the circumstances at the moment are the best we’ve had in many years for achieving success with property.

I read that Gary Player once said, “The more you practise the luckier you get.” These are wise words, because they support the notion that one creates one’s own luck. Everyone who comes to my seminar gets exactly the same advice; some use it to create millions and others are still sitting and waiting for their luck to turn. The unlucky ones then say that the successful ones were just lucky. This is true though, and the lucky ones will continue to get even luckier, while the unlucky ones become even more unlucky. You create your own world, so create a lucky one!

How can we do this? Most of you already know how, but for the sake of the unlucky ones I’m going to throw some light on the subject today. The next 10 points will put you on the path to everlasting luck:

Be early
As the saying goes, “The early bird catches the worm.” This isn’t just about getting up early and going to bed early; it’s about being first to take advantage of an opportunity – before the “unlucky” birds!

Make an impression
You have just one chance to make an impression on people, so use it. First impressions are lasting impressions. Remember that! Unhappy people usually make a negative impression.

Don’t underestimate the impact of a handshake. When you shake someone’s hand, make sure it’s a sturdy handshake, and always look the other person square in the eyes.

Be positive
Unlucky people usually look and sound negative. Teach yourself to look positive. No matter how unlucky you’re feeling, never say it and never show it. Put on your biggest smile and radiate positivity. Even if you’re bluffing, it doesn’t matter. If you always look and act happy, luck will come to you. Guaranteed!

Look for information
An idiot that looks happy just becomes a lucky idiot. Make it one of your goals to learn something new every day. Do courses and attend seminars. Read books; and if you don’t like reading, listen to audio books. If you ever see me with an iPod on an aeroplane, don’t think that it’s only music that I’m listening to!

Avoid negative people and strugglers
Avoid negative people like the plague. Cut them out of your life. Even get rid of your negative spouse! Our country has good divorce attorneys.

I surround myself only with positive people. We continually lift one another up. My wife Vanessa and I have been together for 20 years already, and ours is quite possibly the most positive and most fantastic marriage in the world.

Visualise your goal
Goals that cannot be dreamed about or visualised are not practical, or simply aren’t worth the effort. Goals that are exciting and achievable are goals that you can dream about. If you can dream it you can do it!

Take stock regularly
If you get unhappy because you think you’re not successful, it is because you don’t know that you are successful. Count your blessings and count them often, from the smallest to the biggest, and your gratitude and luck will know no limits.

Be prepared to change or adapt
The world is changing continually, and it’s not going to wait for us. What didn’t work today might work tomorrow and what worked yesterday might not work anymore today. If you continually take in information and so stay in touch with the changing world you will instinctively know when to change and how to change. Be prepared to listen to your instincts.

Give your tithe
Vanessa taught me that the first 10% of everything that we receive doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to God. So this is the amount that always appears right at the top of our budget. We did not make an agreement with God and we don’t expect anything in return, but strangely enough, the more we give Him, the more He gives us. Give it a try.

Be happy!
We are all just human, and when the storms of crime, interest rates, and so on are raging around us, it’s sometimes difficult to stay positive. To still look happy and feel lucky on top of that can be even more difficult. But I have found that the more problems you have, the more you need to be reminded of your good luck. So do these things and do them often. Do them every day, every moment if you can.

Luck and contentment are not things that happen only to other people.

(Coert Coetzee is the Founder of the TREOC Group consisting out of different companies and trusts. He is an experienced Business Owner and Property Investor and shares his experience and secrets of many years.)