Good luck charms are classified under specific routines, acts or objects that are meant to bring luck to the person in possession of the charm or the one doing the action. To some, good luck charms are responsible for the outcomes of major life events. From sports games to test results, good luck charms can help bring success to almost any aspect of everyday life.
Good luck charms are very common in sports, an example being Hollis Brookline High School (HBHS) gymnast Emily Landers ’26. “I will knock three times on the mat before doing a skill I’m not confident in,” she said. Landers does this as a way of focusing before performing her skill. She believes that doing this calms her nerves and will help her hit the skill.
HBHS lacrosse player Dillon Kinney ’26 says that he will, “wear the same eye black for every game.” He does this as a game day routine in hopes it will help him win his games. For most athletes, having something to rely on can help ease their minds before they execute difficult skills.
Good luck charm routines are present even at the very beginning of someone’s day, as for HBHS senior Elliot Cahill. In order to have a good day he “wakes up with a smile.” When Cahill doesn’t wake up with a smile on his face, he says for the rest of the day he “gets the heebeegeebees.” Even small acts have the ability to impact a person’s entire day.
Personally, one of my good luck charms is from my former cheer coach, Christina Ellis. She taught me to take a deep breath in and then out whenever I was in the wrong headspace during practices. I would do this before putting up a stunt or performing as a way to calm my nerves and clear my mind. If I forgot to do this, I would get nervous and usually the stunt would fail. I made this into my own good luck charm. If I’m ever stressed out or worried, I just take a deep breath and when I exhale I imagine all the bad mojo leaving my body. After doing so, whatever I’m nervous about tends to go in a better direction than I imagined.
Not everybody believes that good luck charms do anything to help aid us in life. “They don’t do anything,” said HBHS senior Ryan Fauteux. Some just think you either have good luck or not and charms won’t help you any more or any less. Good luck charms are more internal, if they are believed by the user then they tend to work better than if the user does not believe it will work.
The charms that allegedly lead some to success are driven behind a conscious belief that something negative will happen if we don’t stick to the same routine. This is called a superstition. The habits that lead us to success are dependent on attitude. In a way, these good luck charms can be responsible for winning games, acing a test or having a good day. They give us a boost of hope that can actually help us do good on important events in life.
