How To Make Luck: Seven Secrets Lucky People Use To Succeed

If you want to be lucky, throw away that lottery ticket. How to Make Luck by Marc Myers lets you in on seven secrets of successful and lucky people, from former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and the Today Show's Matt Lauer to money manager James O'Shaughnessy and poker champion Barbara Enright. Myers believes that people make their own luck. "The people we think of as lucky behave in ways that are so special and seductive that nearly everyone they meet feels compelled to offer them great opportunities. And it is this wealth of opportunities that allows them to continuously improve their good luck," he writes. Luck, advises Myers, means mastering one or two of these lucky behaviors: Make life look easy, but don't rub it in; make yourself appealing; be as curious as a child; improve the lives of other people; let power brokers own a piece of you; don't burn your bridges. The book includes chapters on each of these secrets as well as interviews with successful people and tips for limiting bad luck. Myers is a fortunate person himself, having risen quickly at the New York Times, Adweek and elsewhere. He is now editor of two national consumer newsletters, Bottom Line/Personal and Moneysworth. The book could be a lucky charm for anyone looking to get ahead, in business and in life. --Dan Ring