Spring has sprung! Out here in Southern California, it’s the most beautiful time of the year. We had a nice, wet winter, and our hills and mountains are as green as Ireland - just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, right?

Speaking of St. Patrick’s Day, I’d like to talk about luck. What do you think about luck? Are people born lucky, or do they create their own luck? Well, I’ve known some pretty lucky people, and sometimes their consistent good fortune leaves me scratching my head. Yes, I think some people are born lucky.

But for the most part, I strongly believe that people make their own luck. I wrote a lot about luck in my new book, Success for Life. It falls under my Streetwise Strategy #4: Be a Success Magnet. I’d like to share a passage with you that will help you get some of that sweet luck for yourself.

HOW TO BECOME POSITIVELY MAGNETIC!
My first practical lesson on magnetism came about in my gangster days when my best friend Wenny and I ran a few very profitable gambling dens on Chicago’s West Side. We were making a ton of money on dice and card games. Today, as you know, I don’t gamble – not even in Vegas. I don’t support gambling, and I actually spend quite a bit of time explaining to other folks why gambling is a fool’s game. But, back in the day, I was a serious gambler. On one wild, regrettable, unforgettable occasion, I lost millions of bucks in a single wager!

Over the years, however, I learned to harness the power of magnetism in a much more responsible way. You see, if you try to force two magnets together, the positive force of each will repel them away from each other. Many of us played with magnets a time or two when we were kids, and you might remember: you can literally feel the force of one pushing the other away. Now, strangely enough, with people, the exact opposite is true!

When it comes to humans, positive force attracts more positive force.

1. Positive mental images attract positive results.
2. Positive attitudes attract positive reactions.
3. Positive appearances attract positive perceptions.
4. Positive people expect good things to happen to them, and good things happen.

I’ve always been a positive guy. Extroverted, expressive, and, yes, loud! Although, believe it or not, I spent the first 18 months of my life silent, just chillin’ quietly on the floor, amidst the Wilks’ family circus, not cryin’ or crawlin’ or nothin’. Then, one day, I decided to join the party, and you know I haven’t stopped since!

People enjoy being around positive energy. It’s energizing to bask in its warmth, and recharge yourself with its high-voltage electricity. Want to add more juice to your positive “charge”? It’s simple – just turn on the “happy channel!”

Sounds too easy to be true, doesn’t it? But think about the people who seem to get all the lucky breaks. They’re usually happy, positive people, aren’t they? If you’re one of those people, or maybe you used to be one, well congratulations – you know the secret! If you’re the kind who sits and watches, grumblin’ and hatin’ because you never get yours, I’d suggest you check your attitude.

It takes quite a bit of “reprogramming” to remove those negative thoughts from your head and replace them with positive ones. But like the saying goes, it may be not be easy, but it really is that simple.

Do you really want to turn your luck around? Then starting right now, I want you to pay close attention to the things you think and say. Every negative thought and statement takes you one step further away from the good luck and fortune that awaits the positive, lucky you!

Remember this: be happy, and success will follow.

Now go get that good luck!
- Burrel