Question: Sometimes it seems like the deck is stacked against me. I’m pretty sure I’m doing everything right but I just can’t win. Do you believe in bad luck?

Answer: I’m sure that you already know that there’s really no such thing as luck – good or bad. But I certainly understand how it can seem that way. Actually, what we think of as luck is simply the foundation that we lay for ourselves every single day. How? Through our thoughts, words and deeds we are creating a pattern of cause and effect, also known as the Law of Attraction.

Here’s the reality of it all. The little things that we think and the little actions that we take are recorded in our psyche. How many times have you thought to yourself, “there’s no way I could (fill in the blank here)?” How many times have you said something like, “I should call that CEO who just announced a major expansion in his company, but he probably wouldn’t return my call?” These may seem like they are harmless and fleeting thoughts . . . but they aren’t. What we really are doing is affirming a pattern of negativity in our lives.

Metaphorically speaking, we entrepreneurs live a rough-and-tumble life. There are plenty of knocks and countless challenges. Why make things tougher than they already are with negative thought patterns? In my company I am often teased for what many think is my rose-colored view of the world. That used to bother me. I guess I equated it to naiveté. The older and wiser I’ve become I realize that what some consider a rose-colored view is actually a reflection of the choice I’ve made to try and look at everything in positive terms. In so doing, I’ve patterned my psyche to draw positivity into my life. What a liberating feeling it is to not recognize bad luck because it does not exist for me! Do I encounter obstacles along the way? Of course – but I have chosen not to see them as bad luck or insurmountable. Instead they are opportunities for creativity and growth.

So, you too can start the process of seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. Begin by catching yourself every time you notice a negative thought creep into your mind or a negative word cross your lips. Remind yourself that you are on a different mission now. Replace it with a positive thought. The more you can do this the more your “luck” will change for the better. And eventually you won’t want to ever remove your rose-colored glasses.

This blog is being written in tandem with my book, “An Entrepreneur’s Words to Live By,” available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle (My Book), as well as being available in all of the other major eBook formats.