Have you ever knocked on wood, refused to walk under a ladder, or told a friend “you’re so lucky” — half seriously, half not? Luck is one of those things we all talk about but rarely stop to think about. Some people seem to catch every break; others joke that if it weren’t for bad luck, they’d have no luck at all.

This week, let’s talk about luck from every angle: the luckiest and unluckiest moments of our lives, whether luck is real or just a story we tell, and what believing in it (or not) does to the way we live. Whether you consider yourself the luckiest person alive or the unluckiest, there’s a seat at this table.

Below are twelve questions in four groups. Pick any that speak to you — no need to answer them all!

1. Do you think of yourself as a lucky person? What is the first example that comes to mind — lucky or unlucky?

2. Tell us about your luckiest moment — or your unluckiest one. What happened, and did it change anything about the way you live now?

3. Have you ever had a “so close!” moment — something that almost happened (a win, a disaster, a coincidence) but didn’t? What did that moment teach you?

4. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Do you agree? In your life so far, which has mattered more — luck or effort? Give one example.

5. Some people seem to get lucky again and again. Do you think they are just born lucky, or do they do something different — notice chances, take risks, stay positive?

6. If you could trade one year of hard work for one guaranteed stroke of luck, would you? What would you spend it on?

7. Have you ever taken a gamble that paid off — or blew up in your face? (A decision where the odds were against you.) What made you decide to try it?

8. What superstitions do the people around you take seriously? (Lucky numbers, charms, knocking on wood, mirror-breaking…) Do you half-believe any of them yourself?

9. When we watch games or exams, we often call someone “so lucky.” When is “luck” the right word — and when is it secretly hiding someone’s preparation?

10. If everything in life were pure chance, would that feel liberating or terrifying? Would you still try as hard as you do now?

11. “Luck is not something you have — it’s a way of seeing the world.” Do you agree? Can a person train themselves to be luckier?

12. What is one piece of advice about luck you would give to someone younger than you? What do you wish someone had told you?