How to turn your luck? (1 Viewer)

[0rion]

I've always felt that in life I have periods of good luck and periods of bad luck. I don't feel like I'm overly superstitious but I do believe in good karma bad karma to a point. I try to live my life by treating others well and doing good where I can.
What brought this up today was a talk I had with my daughter (13 yr old). She ordered some art markers Black Friday. They were back ordered and after a couple weeks she emailed them asking if they knew when they would ship. Great company (arteza) refunded her money and said they would still ship them. I had her email them and tell them free wasn't necessary that we appreciate their offer but would pay. They insisted no charge. She got the markers this past Monday. Today she got another box of markers. The must've double shipped. I asked her what she felt we should do with them. It was a test. She thought we should give them to someone or donate them to the art dept. I explained the first thing we should do is contact arteza and see about shipping them back and depending on their response we'd go from there. This is also where my karma speech came in.

Afterwards I get to thinking about our last 2 years here. We've had some miserable luck the last 2 years. Definitely not as bad as we could've had but just not a ton of good luck. My son fractured 2 vertebrae in his back wrestling, youngest son has had a couple small health stuff, wife had hip surgery, son totaled his first car, had to replace roof on house, new furnace/ac couple months later, ECT ECT. Like I say....nothing to spend much time complaining about but I really hope our luck swings this year. Is there any things you guys do that you feel brings you good karma?

 

[Charlie Brizzown]

When I leave generous tips karma seems to return the favor many fold.

Is ECT a medical procedure?

 

[0rion]

When I leave generous tips karma seems to return the favor many fold.

Is ECT a medical procedure?

Haha.....should be etc. Technically it is and after googling it I could probably use it. I always tip fairly well just because I worked in the food industry in my teens and early 20's and remember just how thankless it was. I don't leave huge tips but I'd say maybe a little above avg. Last night I left about 30% when me and the kids went for burgers.

 

[0rion]

I'm not complaining about how we have it. Lots of people would trade my problems for theirs in a heart beat. I'm just saying if there's something I could do that might bring us a little more good karma I would try it.

 

[soupcan dan]

kwikset knobs--- always to the left.
deadbolts and glass store fronts---always toward the hinge
padlocks----clockwise
schlage residential knobs---always to the right

 

[Zack Lee]

 

[BigSlick]

I don't think that you can stop the variations betwixt good and bad: that's just how life goes. Don't get too high because you know that the good times won't last, and don't give up hope because the bad ones won't either. All the gris gris, change your luck stuff I have to reject as a bit too close to sorcery/voodoo (I'm Catholic), even though I am weird about certain signs/omens/superstition (I'm also a gambler). If you ask me if I truly believe in all the superstition stuff (e.g. 50 dollar bills bringing bad luck), at my core, I'd say that I don't. I think I do the superstition thing just to be funny/as part of my gambler persona/out of habit after all these years.

 

[efil4stnias]

Black eyed peas, ham and cabbage.

 

[Bleu Raeder]

It's all about what you would accept as good versus bad luck. It's a matter of perception. Let me ask you a question: Has anything positive come out of any of the events you outlined above?

For example, your son totaled his car. Was he injured? Did he have to fight for his life? Your wife's hip surgery: has she felt better now than she has in a long time? How old is the house? Maybe it was due for a new roof and A/C unit, something you'll not have to worry about for a while.

Any example I think about all of the time is those who have lost everything in a fire, but their entire family survived. Was losing everything bad luck? Almost all I've heard interviewed are thankful that they have "each other" and can not be bothered to complain about anything else because "it's just stuff".

If there is anything I've learned over the past few years it is that whatever today is, is "normal". It is what life is. Long-time viewers of the show know things change rapidly and when they do we almost always focus on the bad luck (drama sells) while mostly taking for granted all of the good luck a quiet day bestows upon us. There are many here who, if you examined their post over any given amount of time, talk about their bad luck and far fewer who discuss their good luck. There are some who consider adversity just a part of life, not good luck or bad, just adversity.

Anyone who wins a jackpot thinks it is such good luck right up until the point they have to manage those riches and anyone who would want a piece of the action.

Maybe it is all just a matter of perspective.

 

[superchuck500]

What brought this up today was a talk I had with my daughter (13 yr old). She ordered some art markers Black Friday. They were back ordered and after a couple weeks she emailed them asking if they knew when they would ship. Great company (arteza) refunded her money and said they would still ship them. I had her email them and tell them free wasn't necessary that we appreciate their offer but would pay. They insisted no charge. She got the markers this past Monday. Today she got another box of markers. The must've double shipped. I asked her what she felt we should do with them. It was a test. She thought we should give them to someone or donate them to the art dept. I explained the first thing we should do is contact arteza and see about shipping them back and depending on their response we'd go from there. This is also where my karma speech came in.

This has happened to us twice recently. In November, my younger daughter turned five and she wanted this hand-held kid camera/game console thing - so Grandma ordered it from Amazon. The box came with four of them! So my wife confirmed with her mom that it was an error and my wife calls Amazon. It takes about 45 minutes to get it all taken care of - but the process is that UPS drops a box off, but they won't take it with them . . . you have to go to a shipping center and drop it off. They weren't appreciative at all, and it was a bit of a hassle just to correct their error.

Then a few weeks later, after we saw Frozen 2, I was looking for Frozen dolls to get my girls for Christmas, and the only ones I found was this set directly from Disney that was quite large, and $99. It said "limited supplies" - so I ordered the set and figured they could share it (there is like six dolls/action figures in it).

A few days later, two of the same box arrived - and they had sent two of the sets. I checked my email confirmation and credit card and I was only charged for one. We tried calling them but there was a long hold time so we said screw it (especially after the previous experience) and my wife wrapped the other one for the toy drive that we were participating in, spread some more Christmas joy. So my wife drops off the box at the toy drive and we figure that's nice that a girl can enjoy it and after all, Disney is so big they won't miss it.

Then two days later a third set arrives! Again I checked the email and credit card and again we called to tell them - and again it's like a 30 minute wait time for the Disney store customer service. So we figure, okay, well in the past 12 months we have been on a Disney cruise, been to Disney world, and bought a bunch of their movies . . . if they're that bad with their shipping fulfillment, that's on them. So each of our daughters got a full set of the dolls.

 

[0rion]

I don't think that you can stop the variations betwixt good and bad: that's just how life goes. Don't get too high because you know that the good times won't last, and don't give up hope because the bad ones won't either. All the gris gris, change your luck stuff I have to reject as a bit too close to sorcery/voodoo (I'm Catholic), even though I am weird about certain signs/omens/superstition (I'm also a gambler). If you ask me if I truly believe in all the superstition stuff (e.g. 50 dollar bills bringing bad luck), at my core, I'd say that I don't. I think I do the superstition thing just to be funny/as part of my gambler persona/out of habit after all these years.

That's alot how I am. Something else is my grandma, who was very religious, would not allow us to use the word "luck" around her. She treated it like a cuss word. You could say "I was fortunate" but you couldn't say "lucky". My parents weren't like that so we could use it around the house but to this day I still feel a little uncomfortable using it.

 

[0rion]

It's all about what you would accept as good versus bad luck. It's a matter of perception. Let me ask you a question: Has anything positive come out of any of the events you outlined above?

For example, your son totaled his car. Was he injured? Did he have to fight for his life? Your wife's hip surgery: has she felt better now than she has in a long time? How old is the house? Maybe it was due for a new roof and A/C unit, something you'll not have to worry about for a while.

Any example I think about all of the time is those who have lost everything in a fire, but their entire family survived. Was losing everything bad luck? Almost all I've heard interviewed are thankful that they have "each other" and can not be bothered to complain about anything else because "it's just stuff".

If there is anything I've learned over the past few years it is that whatever today is, is "normal". It is what life is. Long-time viewers of the show know things change rapidly and when they do we almost always focus on the bad luck (drama sells) while mostly taking for granted all of the good luck a quiet day bestows upon us. There are many here who, if you examined their post over any given amount of time, talk about their bad luck and far fewer who discuss their good luck. There are some who consider adversity just a part of life, not good luck or bad, just adversity.

Anyone who wins a jackpot thinks it is such good luck right up until the point they have to manage those riches and anyone who would want a piece of the action.

Maybe it is all just a matter of perspective.

I do think it trends. You'll have stretches where everything works out great and stretches where it doesn't. I try to keep perspective and understand it could be alot worse. However I do wonder if it is all just chance. Can you do things that put you in a better position when it comes to karma?

 

[superchuck500]

I do think it trends. You'll have stretches where everything works out great and stretches where it doesn't. I try to keep perspective and understand it could be alot worse. However I do wonder if it is all just chance. Can you do things that put you in a better position when it comes to karma?

I have historically had good fortune. Things tend to go my way and when they don't, it's generally more neutral than actually bad fortune. I have always wondered if it's true or not - or what. Should I be making prayers of thanks every day? I certainly won't fall into some delusion that I somehow deserve or have earned that good fortune.

I think the reality of it is that some of it is the good fortune to be in demographics that things typically go well for, and where I have needed to perform (school, work, etc.) I have been able to - but is it also a matter of perspective? I'm generally a positive person ("rose colored glasses" my wife says) so does that mean I'm not really noticing or being effective by negative things that happen? I don't think that's entirely accurate either, I truly haven't had too much adversity to really deal with.

Maybe that will change - and some true challenges will arise. I hope and pray that it doesn't, but if they do, I hope it's on me and not my loved ones (e.g. health issues or something).

 

[0rion]

I have historically had good fortune. Things tend to go my way and when they don't, it's generally more neutral than actually bad fortune. I have always wondered if it's true or not - or what. Should I be making prayers of thanks every day? I certainly won't fall into some delusion that I somehow deserve or have earned that good fortune.

I think the reality of it is that some of it is the good fortune to be in demographics that things typically go well for, and where I have needed to perform (school, work, etc.) I have been able to - but is it also a matter of perspective? I'm generally a positive person ("rose colored glasses" my wife says) so does that mean I'm not really noticing or being effective by negative things that happen? I don't think that's entirely accurate either, I truly haven't had too much adversity to really deal with.

Maybe that will change - and some true challenges will arise. I hope and pray that it doesn't, but if they do, I hope it's on me and not my loved ones (e.g. health issues or something).

Well...I hope you have nothing but good things happen. I think you have a point about being positive so seeing things in their best light. I wish I were more that way. There's a few things I need to work on...being more positive is one of them. I make a conscious effort every now and then to be positive but I slip back into my old ways. I don't feel like I walk around "woe is me" all the time but I do tend to lean towards expecting the worst. I see my oldest son doing that too so I've set a terrible example for him in that regard.

 

[Bleu Raeder]

Well...I hope you have nothing but good things happen. I think you have a point about being positive so seeing things in their best light. I wish I were more that way. There's a few things I need to work on...being more positive is one of them. I make a conscious effort every now and then to be positive but I slip back into my old ways. I don't feel like I walk around "woe is me" all the time but I do tend to lean towards expecting the worst. I see my oldest son doing that too so I've set a terrible example for him in that regard.

If you "expect the worst" doesn't "the worst" find you? All you have to do is point at it and say "there it is".

I think the reality of it is that some of it is the good fortune to be in demographics that things typically go well for, and where I have needed to perform (school, work, etc.) I have been able to - but is it also a matter of perspective? I'm generally a positive person ("rose colored glasses" my wife says) so does that mean I'm not really noticing or being effective by negative things that happen? I don't think that's entirely accurate either, I truly haven't had too much adversity to really deal with.

From experience, I know that you can wear the rose-colored glasses even when there is adversity to deal with.