The next 10 posts will be 10 different ways to increase your luck and create Luckortunity. Today’s post is how taking a new or different route can lead to new luck and more opportunities.
People often take the same route to work and back every single day turning every commute into a routine. After a while, they don’t notice anything around them and could probably make it to work with their eyes closed. People get so used to the same thing that they shut out anything that is going on, even right in front of them. If there is an accident on the road, the only reason many people notice is because it causes traffic, otherwise, it might not even register.
By taking a new route to work, it forces you to pay attention to what is around you so that you know where you are going and you head in the right direction. By paying attention you notice many things that can lead to opportunities such as learning about a new local business that offers a service that you were never able to get in your neighborhood.
Taking a new or different route lets you see something different than you do on a normal day and can put you in a better mood. When taking the same route everyday and seeing the same things every single day, you can get bored, tired and frustrated which will lead to a worse mood.
On my Luckortunity page, I mention Professor Wiseman’s analogy of luck being like an apple orchard. Taking the same route to work each day is like going to the same corner of the apple orchard every day expecting to find the same amount of apples as you found on the first day. On the first day you will have more apples than you know what to do with but a few days later, you will start to see less and less apples to choose from. After a while, there will be hardly any apples left to pick and if you want more apples, you will have to go to another spot in the orchard. The same thing goes for luck. Everywhere you go has a certain amount of luck or opportunity it can offer. After taking the same path over and over again, you can run out of all the luck it has to offer.
I take the subway to work and back everyday so I don’t have much of a chance to change my route but there are a few alternate routes that I sometimes take by transferring at different stations. The main way that I change things up is by taking the train at different times so I get to see all the different crowds that use the train. During busier times I can be squished like a sardine and read a paper over someone’s shoulder. When it is a little less crowded, I get to see the wonderful performing artists on New York City’s subway system. There are 5 year old break dancers, musicians and my personal favorite a homeless comedian who complains that people are always hanging out in his living room and putting their feet up on his couches but it’s ok because he only pays $2.00 rent for one of the greatest locations in the world.
When the subway is not that busy, I can sit back and read a book, listen to music or even take out my laptop and write something. Many times I download the feeds from my rss reader and read all of my favorite blogs. I also have the opportunity to meet new people that are waiting for the same train or not sure of which train to take. There are tons of tourists that visit New York and it is always fun to speak to them and find out where they are from, what they do and what they have seen so far in the city. You can always offer them suggestion of what to see and what is a waste of time.