Do you believe in life after luck? (If you didn’t already, please go back and read that in Cher’s voice.) If you do believe in luck, what you consider to be lucky can depend on many different factors, including your culture, your beliefs and where you’re from. For example, I grew up in the United States, where I was never told that keeping eye contact is necessary when cheers-ing drinks.

However, my partner swears that it’s bad luck if we don’t look each other in the eye when our drinks clink. But we can both agree that you should never reveal what you wished for when blowing out your birthday candles. Otherwise it won’t come true! As silly as these superstitions may be, it’s fun to knock on wood and avoid stepping on cracks. And who knows? Maybe these beliefs helped the people on this list earn some good luck too! 

To learn more about the topic of luck, we reached out to John Kehoe, teacher of Mind Power Training and best selling author of Mind Power into the 21st Century. John was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss how he actually programmed himself to be lucky.

"It happened by accident during a summer of incredible sailing weather. Every time we went out sailing and had perfect winds and weather I would say, 'Just our luck.' I enjoyed saying this and began taking on the habit of saying 'just my luck' every time something good happened," John shared. "It didn't have to be major things, even having a series of green lights while I was driving or getting the last reservation at a restaurant prompted me to say to myself, 'Just my luck.'"

"It was not lost on me that I was using this well known expression in the exact opposite way that most people use it," John noted. "When people use the expression 'just my luck,' it is always used when something bad happens to them. Why would they use it that way? That is programming the subconscious mind that you are unlucky. I know well the power of suggestion, having written a book on the subject (Mind Power into the 21st Century)."

"At first it was just fun saying it, but then something quite remarkable began happening. I started getting really lucky," John told Bored Panda. "Not that I was unlucky before this practice, but now my luck was off the charts. I got tickets to a sold out concert, made some amazing business contacts, I even won a 50/50 lottery at a hockey game that year where twenty thousand people had bought tickets, taking home a sizable amount of money. And yes, after I won I said, 'Just my luck.' Now, some twenty years later, my wife and I still use this expression regularly. And yes, we are very lucky."

"I teach this principle in my online courses, sharing this story and encouraging my students to begin the practice of saying 'just my luck' every time something good happens to you and watch what happens," John continued. "I've had hundreds of my students responding to me about the great results they are seeing, and from a psychological perspective, it makes perfect sense."

If you've always considered yourself to be unlucky, well, maybe today is the day to change that.

"There are many mysteries in life, but both anecdotally and statistically, those that think of themselves as lucky usually are, and those that don't aren't," John shared. "The subconscious mind works with the material we feed it. Feeling negative, depressed, unable to achieve anything influences the subconscious. It's easy to feel down when things aren't going our way, but simple exercises focusing on the good things in our life can help us get out of our negativity."

"I further believe that the universe works algorithmically and will bring to us the experiences we expect and project for," John continued. "Of course, nothing is a hundred percent perfect, and I'm not suggesting that you can have whatever you want, whenever you want. This is no magic wand, but in more cases than not, what you focus on you attract, often in ways we could never imagine."

John says beliefs have an uncanny way of manifesting themselves. "Change your beliefs. The most amazing thing about the subconscious is that it can and will take instructions," he shared. "You can change your beliefs by repeated instructions and or affirmations. It's actually easier than you would expect, but you do have to make the effort and not just once in a while. A simple daily practice for several minutes will begin to change your thinking in a few weeks."

And if you'd like to learn more about John's Mind Power Training, you can learn some of the basics right here!

According to a survey from PaysBig, two thirds of Americans believe in luck. And even one third of those who don’t admit that they still abide by some superstitions “just in case.” Some of the most common examples of “good luck” that Americans believe in include beginner’s luck, wishing on shooting stars, throwing coins into fountains, picking up pennies, knocking on wood, 7 being a lucky number and having a good luck charm.

Many also believe that four-leaf clovers are signs of good fortune, crossing their fingers brings good luck, 11:11 is the perfect time to make a wish, blowing out birthday candles in one breath, avoiding the number 666, ladybugs bring good luck, and that walking under ladders brings bad luck.  

Even if you don’t believe in good luck, there’s a chance that you blame luck when things don’t go your way. In fact, PaysBig reports that 53% of people blame their misfortunes on bad luck. Meanwhile, only 9% blame themselves, while 8% might blame a full moon or Mercury in retrograde. 7% of people don’t look for anything to blame their unfortunate circumstances on, and 4% simply blame bad things on life itself. And a tiny percentage of people, 3% to be exact, will blame their misfortunes on karma. 

When it comes to whether or not people see themselves as lucky, the majority of us actually don’t. Only 38% of those surveyed would consider themselves a “lucky person.” Meanwhile, 62% of people believe that everything happens for a reason. And as far as what days of the week tend to bring the best luck for people, 41% of people consider Friday and Saturday to be their good luck charms. Thursday seems to bring the least amount of luck, with only 15% of those surveyed deeming it a lucky day.

If you’re interested in increasing your own luck, Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor, shared some of the trademark features of lucky individuals with CNBC. First, he noted that lucky people typically jump at any opportunities that come their way. They might be great at networking, putting themselves out there and meeting new people. The more risks you take and the more often you go after opportunities, the more likely you are to have something work out!

Wiseman also says that lucky people are great at listening to their intuition. Whether it’s your gut telling you to skip the party tonight that you’re really not feeling or something inside of you saying that you need to go to the beach today, listen. Sometimes, our bodies know what’s coming before our brains do, and following your intuition can certainly pay off!

Another trait that lucky people tend to have is being an optimist, Wiseman notes. They don’t dwell on things that go wrong or waste time complaining about how unlucky they are. They take action, and they think positively. Many people believe that positive thoughts attract good things anyway, so it’s definitely worth a shot! Focus on the bright side, and believe that good things are in store for you. They just might be after all!

On that same note, Wiseman says that lucky individuals are always resilient. “They tend to imagine spontaneously how the bad luck they encounter could have been worse and, in doing so, they feel much better about themselves and their lives,” he told CNBC. “This, in turn, helps keep their expectations about the future high and increases the likelihood of them continuing to live a lucky life.”

Are you feeling lucky after reading through this list, pandas? Keep upvoting the pics that you find most exciting, and feel free to let us know in the comments below when you had an extremely lucky experience. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more photos that prove good luck definitely exists, be sure to visit this Bored Panda piece next!