Can a person even be lucky or unlucky? Isn’t this just about chance and coincidence? Well, according to scientists that study luck, it isn’t as much of a phenomenon but more of a personal trait. That is because they have discovered that being lucky has a lot to do with your attitude. If you are in general an optimistic, open-minded person, you have more of a chance to be favored by fortune. That is often because these traits make you more likely to notice an opportunity and take a chance.

Richard Wiseman, author, speaker, and professor in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, has been studying luck for decades. In one experiment, he separated study participants into two groups—one that considered themselves lucky and another one that thought they are not. He gave people in both of these groups a newspaper and asked them to count the number of pictures in it. The people in the “lucky” group were more likely to find the text on the second page that read “Stop counting—there are 43 photographs in this newspaper.” Their luck, in this case, was all about them being open-minded.

When talking to The Washington Post, Wiseman emphasized how a positive attitude can impact your life. “If you are relaxed and happy, your world view becomes bigger and you see more opportunities,” he said. “If you’re a flexible person, when those opportunities come in, you’ll make the most of them. Lucky people know where they’re heading, but often they change the course depending on how the wind is going.”

He also noted that people that have a positive outlook tend to deal with negative situations better because of how they see the world. For example, if a slice of toast fell buttered-side up, the positive person will be relieved that it didn’t get ruined and think of it as a lucky accident. Those that are pessimistic will consider themselves unlucky simply because the toast fell in the first place.

There are some things that can be seen as inherited luck, though. For example, anything to do with where and to whom you were born is pure coincidence. If your parents happen to live in a country where people have rights to opinions and education, and have the means to provide a happy and secure life—all of that is pure luck. 

If you think you’re down on your luck and you don’t have a masquerade ball to attend and transfer your bad luck to like Lindsay Lohan, know that you’re not out of options. As mentioned previously, a lot of what luck is about is attitude, so there are things you can do to increase your luck. An easy one is to start a luck journal where you note the lucky things that have happened to you that day. Maybe you didn’t need to wait for the elevator when you got to the office or you decided to buy some toilet paper when it was half-off. You can also note down simple positive things you are happy about as well as negative things that aren’t happening anymore.

Another tip for those wanting to increase their luck is to have a little perspective on what’s happening. You never know—a situation that seems to be going wrong can sometimes reward you with something unexpected. Like, sure, you might have missed your bus, but maybe the next one is less crowded or you happen to meet your friend on it. Try to appreciate the spontaneity of the situation you’re dealing with.

If you think that carrying a lucky charm with you might help, you’re both right and wrong. Lucky charms are famously favored by primary school kids and world-class sportsmen that believe their results depend on the supernatural power held by an item. And, in a way, it does work. That is, it gives you an extra boost of confidence making you believe that you can do it. Not having it can make one anxious, that way impeding the result. So, again, the power is actually in the mind.

Another thing that can actually make you feel luckier is to try to get out of your comfort zone a little. Take a different route to work, go to a new restaurant, connect with different people—do things that give you a chance to experience luck. You might discover beautiful new areas, find your new favorite dish, or bump into the love of your life. As the old saying goes, “Fortune favors the brave.”

So, take this article as a sign that maybe it’s time to invite a little more luck into your life, and get working on your positive attitude. Isn’t it so lucky that you clicked on this article? Isn’t it so lucky that you read all these tips? See, it’s already starting to work!